‘Sport unites people’ – fans hope for repeat of 2006 ‘Summer Fairytale’ at Euro 2024 in deeply divided Germany

Euro 2024 finally kicked off in Munich Football Arena last night when the host country took on Scotland for the opener.

Over the next four weeks, more than 2.7 million fans are expected to flood into 10 stadiums across the country as Germany hosts its first major tournament in 18 years. German fans are hoping for a repeat of the “Summer Fairytale” of 2006.

That year, the World Cup saw the country break free from the shackles of war guilt and become a proud nation for the first time in generations.

The World Cup lifted the “sick man of Europe” – where five million were unemployed and just 25pc of Germans had faith in the future, according to Euromonitor – back to being a proud, unified country, showing the world a modern, patriotic face.

Franz Beckenbauer, organiser of the committee and former player and manager, said: “This is how God imagines the world to be.”

Berlin-based publicist, author and Germany editor of NZZ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), Dr Alexander Kissler says the mood is different this time round – not just around the team, but across the country.

Kissler observed few flags on the streets of the capital in the lead-up to the championship. “With some exceptions around the city, you wouldn’t know there’s a European Championship on,” he said.

“Patriotism is often frowned upon here and you’re more likely to see Antifa and rainbow flags in Berlin than German ones. It’s very left-leaning.”

Sports sociologist Michael Mutz commented in an NTV news channel article this week: “Is celebrating with national symbols still appropriate given the burgeoning nationalism? The boundaries between partying and racism are fluid.”

An 87-year-old Berlin native was accused of being a Nazi as a result of waving a flag at a May Day event, which annoyed many Germans, who see it as anti-German.

Kessler expects to see more flags at Germany games, but the team still have their work cut out to get fans on side. “The DFB (German Football Association) team haven’t bathed themselves in glory in recent tournaments,” he said.

Germany fans play football at Marienplatz Square, Munich, ahead of last night’s Euro 2024 opener between Scotland and Germany. 

“The [association] lost a lot of fans when it became too politicised. People don’t mind politics if they win, but they’ll be scrutinised if they lose.”

The team were heavily criticised in Qatar and at home after the 2022 World Cup when they put their hands in front of their mouths in a bid to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

The gesture became a joke online, made greater by an embarrassing first-round exit.

Even if they win the Euros, Kissler says the ecstatic mood would not last. A deeply unpopular coalition government has seen 71pc of Germans unhappy with its performance, according to a ZDF national TV survey.

The coalition of the FDP, CDU and Green Party, headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is regularly accused of poor communication, appalling economics and ignoring security issues resulting from mass immigration.

“We’ve had almost daily knife attacks since a rejected asylum-seeker from Afghanistan killed a policeman in Mannheim in early June,” Dr Kissler said. “The attack on a policeman triggered a political debate about security ahead of the start of the European Football Championship and about the federal government’s migration policy.”

The most important thing for us is to welcome visitors from across Europe and that the event runs smoothly. That will be the real victory for us

Last year, there were over 14,000 knife attacks, according to police statistics – with around 60 a day occurring across Germany this year.

“You don’t want to dramatise it, but it will be in the back of people’s minds when they go to outdoor events,” he added.

German boss of the DAX stock exchange, Theodor Weimer also had little praise for the coalition. He said Germany was on course to be an impoverished country and called the economic situation “catastrophic”.

Last year, Germany was the only industrial nation that did not record any growth. Even German trains are not what they were and fans have been delayed getting around Germany.

Gereon Adenauer, who runs a guesthouse outside Cologne, says Germany’s left-wing politics is purely focused on minorities, which has caused polarisation.

“The ideology of the current government suits minorities and ignores the population, hence they have chosen to vote for right-wing parties in the recent European elections,” he said. “It’s undemocratic and it doesn’t work like that. Thankfully football is a great leveller.”

Germany fan and mechanic from Schwaebisch Hall, Stephan Meyer agrees. “Sport is the only thing that can unite. The most important thing for us is to welcome visitors from across Europe and that the event runs smoothly. That will be the real victory for us,” he said.

“If the weather holds up and we win the tournament – we might just have a Summer Fairytale after all.”