Rudi Völler opened the series of press conferences in the German World Cup camp. The sporting director delivered a wild ride from David Raum to old times, from similarities to Nick Woltemade to sensitive topics like Iran and a locked out referee.
In fact, a search in the most well-known search engine when entering “Völler” results in the hit “Völler Woltemade” in the third place.
The man who, with his name Rudi Völler, was behind the first hit and became even more popular for the second one, “Wutrede”, had already heard about it. Nick Woltemade himself pointed this out to him.
Expert on times gone by
The search result is ranked so high because many are of the opinion that Völler looked very similar to one of his many successors as a center forward for the national team when he was younger. It’s fine, said Völler, but because of the thinning hair the time is over.
Völler is also an expert on times gone by, as it has now been 40 years since he played his first World Cup, back then as a player. The DFB delegation visited an orphanage in Querétaro, Mexico. Back then I had that there “really bad” looked.
Rudi Völler in the quarterfinals against Bulgaria in New York at the 1994 World Cup
Aid to Mexico was launched on the initiative of the later and now deceased DFB President Egidius Braun. On Tuesday, Völler and current President Bernd Neuendorf were supposed to hand over a check for 86,000 euros for educational projects in the country where the World Cup opens on Thursday.
Referee denied entry – “That’s not nice”
For Omar Artan it won’t even begin, even though he was scheduled to be the referee, the first ever from Somalia. He was refused entry, although FIFA, in the person of its president and close friend of US President Donald Trump, Gianni Infantino, had assured that anyone directly involved in the tournament would come into the country.
“I would have liked it to be different. That’s not nice“, said Völler about the refused entry. It was “It’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do about it“.
Political support not desired
The same applies to fans of Iran, who allegedly were not given the tickets they were promised.
Völler was also asked whether he would like an exchange with and support from politicians on political issues. “No, we don’t need it” he said.
No worries for Neuer, Wirtz and Musiala
In between things got sporty several times. “If you start well, it gives you a certain peace of mind“, said the sports director with a view to the opening game on Sunday against Curaçao.
With Manuel Neuer he makes himself “no worries at all“That he missed the two test matches against Finland and the USA. He doesn’t have any worries about Florian Wirtz either: “He will definitely have a great World Cup.” Or did he say that when asked about Jamal Musiala? In any case, the answer fits both players.
Training center will never be an excuse
Völler is certain that the right choice of accommodation was made: “No matter how far it goes. The training center will never be an excuse.”
He didn’t want to say how far he would have to go to make the World Cup a success, but he was once again sure. “We’ll be difficult to beat and that’s good to know.”
Völler: “Nobody wants to go to Malente”
There was also a historical question when choosing the neighborhood, because Rudi Völler can talk about old times so well. “Nobody wants to go to Malente“, he said about the sports school where the German team lived during the 1974 World Cup when they weren’t escaping.
There is no danger of cabin fever in Winston-Salem simply because there is now so much of it that Rudi Völler and colleagues did not have in 1990 when they became world champions in Italy. “We had no internet, no cell phones, no German programs.”
chase with OJ Simpson before Opening game 1994
Today everything is completely different. “The Americans” would “now know the football rules” and even many players, unlike in 1994.
There was Rudi Völler as a player at the World Cup, and on the day of the opening game against Bolivia he, like millions of other people, was glued to the television to watch the chase between OJ Simpson and the police, filmed from a helicopter and broadcast live.
“We didn’t know him as a football player, but more as an actor.“What this movie was called again.”Naked cannon“, it came to the audience.
“Correct. Naked cannon“, laughed Völler. But the whole thing was no laughing matter, because Simpson was finally caught and later charged with two counts of murder, including that of his wife. In a spectacular trial, which was also broadcast live, Simpson was acquitted, although a DNA test heavily incriminated him.
Presenting himself in a good mood: DFB sports director Rudi Völler
Memories of Qatar
Then a little later Völler rushed out of the lecture hall at Wake Forest University. We went to the plane with DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, who sat on the podium at the first press conference in the base camp in Qatar four years ago.
He said, for example, that Neuer would definitely wear the rainbow armband as captain and that the DFB would accept a penalty if necessary. About a letter from Infantino in which the President of FIFA demanded that all talk about guest workers and human rights in general must now be stopped, Neuendorf said: “We are irritated and disturbed.”
Perplexed diplomat: “Nothing can be done now anyway”
The open attack against FIFA has turned into diplomacy, which was represented on Tuesday by Rudi Völler. “Terribly expensive” said he when asked about ticket prices for the World Cup, “not understandable, but they will have their reasons“There’s nothing that can be done now anyway.