World champions Germany were playing France in a friendly at the Stade de France on November 13 when three suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the stadium, part of a wave of attacks across the French capital which left 130 people dead and many more injured.
Agencies/Berlin
Germany coach Joachim Loew said yesterday his players would remain affected “for a long time” by November’s Paris terror attacks, adding that it would impact their preparations for Euro 2016 in France.
“Each one of us carries with us the terrible events from Paris and in all likelihood will for a long time,” Loew said in an interview with German public radio Bayerische Rundfunk.
“And I believe we must speak about it with the team in March, to prepare us a little and to adjust because we’re playing in Paris twice during the group stage and we must not bring those bad memories with us,” he said.
World champions Germany were playing France in a friendly at the Stade de France on November 13 when three suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the stadium, part of a wave of attacks across the French capital which left 130 people dead and many more injured.
Germany’s subsequent friendly against the Netherlands four days later in Hanover was then cancelled because of a bomb threat. “It took me two or three days to get back to a ‘normal life’,” Loew told the Bavarian radio station, adding that he had sought out family members and the German team psychologist, Hans-Dieter Hermann, to help overcome the traumatic events.
Germany, who face Ukraine in Lille on June 12 in their opening game of next summer’s European Championship, will then return to Paris to take on Poland at the Stade de France on June 16 before playing Northern Ireland at the Parc des Princes five days later. Loew’s said his focus is on defending the World Cup title in 2018, with Euro 2016 a stepping stone to the tournament in Russia. “The European Championship is an important stopover on the way to the World Cup in 2018 in Russia,” he said.
“I think it would be something really special if we can manage to defend the title of world champions. No German team has done that in history. Our focus is a little bit over and above the European Championship.”
Loew’s contract as Germany coach runs until the end of the 2018 World Cup but the coach concedes his future could be up for discussion should Germany flop at Euro 2016. “If it is a complete failure then perhaps a situation would arise for discussion, but I’m taking it that we will go far at the tournament,” he said. “I have a contract until 2018 and believe I will fulfil it.”
