Germans take World Cup exit on the chin

BERLIN: Germans started adjusting to a new world yesterday, brushing off any notion that a shock humiliation at the Fifa World Cup, which coincides with a rare moment of political instability, was symptomatic of national decline.

German newspapers fused the fates of German team coach Joachim Low and Chancellor Angela Merkel who, after 12-and-a-half years of looking unassailable, is fighting for her political survival due to a row over migration with her Bavarian allies.

On top of Wednesday’s defeat to South Korea which sent them out of the tournament in the opening round for the first time in 80 years, Germans are also aghast at turmoil in their proud auto industry over an emissions cheating scandal. That culminated earlier this month in the arrest of Audi boss Rupert Stadler.

Top-selling Bild highlighted the mounting problems last week after an ominous soccer loss to Mexico, with the headline: “The three pillars of Germany are cars, football, stability. Summer of 2018 will be remembered as a summer of shaky pillars.”

Despite a media assault on the German team and headlines yesterday such as “Summer depression” and “Make or break days for Merkel and Low”, Germans on the streets took events on the chin.

“I didn’t expect it, it was not foreseen at all that they would lose to South Korea. Germany will go on. I am optimistic,” said truck driver Michael Annamann, adding that at least there were plenty of jobs.

Girt Kirchner, 51, from Leipzig, said she was confident Germany would “find itself again” and it was important to look ahead confidently. “I hope that (Germans) will reflect on this and become aware that they live an absolute luxury.”

Even if fears of a trade war with the United States are clouding the outlook for Europe’s biggest economy, ordinary Germans are still enjoying a long growth spell and record low unemployment. Economists see little chance of a World Cup hit. – Reuters