For almost five years, Prof. Dr. Tobias Haupt Head of the DFB Academy. Now the 39-year-old has sent a cry for help. German football is in one of the biggest crises of all time, but nobody is doing anything. Haupt currently sees black for the national team.
Prof. Dr. Tobias Haupt appealed to both the new national coach Julian Nagelsmann and the entire Bundesliga to focus more on youth. “The playing times of our U21 national players are far too short. The market values of our U-national players are far behind the international average,” said the head of the DFB academy to “Bild”.
Especially when it comes to young talent and the exhaustion of the talent pool, German football is in the “worst position” compared to other top nations, said Haupt, who based his warning on an example: “Spain, for example, has been producing 45 percent more since 2009 Top players than Germany. We don’t have enough breadth at the top. It must be clear to us: We have completely lost touch internationally!”
The current crisis has been recognized, but: “Central measures that have been on the table for years are not being implemented. And above all: essential decisions that are necessary for the future of German football have been made for years German football cannot be successful in the future.” We rested on our laurels at the 2014 World Cup triumph for far too long.
The connection to the top nations is lost
“The gap between the DFB, DFL and professional clubs is currently bigger than ever before. This means that the future of German professional football in the area of excellence is being further reduced. The connection to France, England and other nations will be completely lost as a result,” said the 39-year-old .
The new DFB director Hannes Wolf, who wants to initiate numerous reforms, was recently torpedoed by BVB boss and DFB deputy Hans-Joachim Watzke, who attracted attention with statements about youth planning – which were subsequently heavily criticized.
Either way: Even if the youth revolution takes effect, it will probably still be years before the successes can be seen in the senior national team. They were last eliminated in the group phase at the 2018 World Cup and the 2022 World Cup, and they also ended in the round of 16 at the EURO in 2021.