National player Kai Havertz has complained about the lack of support from fans for the DFB selection. The German national soccer team was on its own at the World Cup in Qatar at the end of 2022.
“Even if I don’t include everyone,” said the Arsenal FC offensive player before the friendly against Japan on Saturday (8.45 p.m./RTL): “For us footballers, fans are extremely important because of course they also give us strength. If you’ve seen, what kind of fans the other nations had and what kind of support they had. That’s what we – in my opinion – were missing a bit.”
The fans are “the twelfth man” and provide support, especially in bad phases. “And we didn’t feel it 100 percent every time,” said Havertz: “But nonetheless, we’re trying to get the fans back on board with good performances and create euphoria again. That’s only possible through victories.”
After the test against Japan, the DFB selection will play against France in Dortmund on Tuesday. “Even in bad phases, as a football player you need support and support,” said Havertz, “in order to get out of the bad phase. There is no other way.” According to Havertz, the criticism of the past few months was “often” expressed “incorrectly”. “But we dealt with it well as a team,” said the 24-year-old: “We are now going into the games to win them.”