DFB captain Alexandra Popp does not want to make a quick decision about her future in the women’s national team after the early World Cup failure. “These thoughts are very far away at the moment because I’m far too busy being eliminated from the group stage,” said the 32-year-old in Brisbane on Friday. “Everyone needs time to come to terms with themselves,” Popp added. The selection of the German Football Association was eliminated for the first time in the preliminary round of a women’s World Cup on Thursday.
After the final defeat at the European Championships last year, top scorer Popp left open for a long time whether she would continue her career in the national team. At the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the attacker scored four goals in three group games, but was unable to avoid being eliminated.
Before making any fundamental decisions, you have to admit to the team that “we just need the time now to analyze exactly that, so that we can then clearly see what was missing, what was the reason,” warned Popp. After beating Morocco 6-0 and losing 2-1 against Colombia, a 1-1 draw against outsiders South Korea was not enough to qualify for the round of 16.
DFB trusts Voss-Tecklenburg
Each of her colleagues is dealing with the disappointment of failure in their own way, said Popp. Some players retired to their rooms alone on Friday night. “Some needed their family or their friends,” she said of the scenes at the team hotel. “Not every player can say overnight, ‘I’m fine again’.” After the joint dinner, the national coach gave a comforting speech, and the players were visited by family and friends.
Despite the setback at the World Cup, Popp hopes that German fans will not lose interest in women’s football again. “But the development over the whole year was so beautiful to look at, so immense and so extremely important for the sport that I hope it stays that way,” said the VfL Wolfsburg striker.
Voss-Tecklenburg admitted responsibility for the early departure, but she left her future open for the time being and also asked for time. She didn’t want to say anything prematurely. Voss-Tecklenburg received support from DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and association manager Joti Chatzialexiou. Neuendorf said the contract was recently extended to 2025 and Voss-Tecklenburg “expressed the trust that she still enjoys.”
Neuendorf announced on ZDF an analysis after returning to Germany. The next competitive tasks for the German team are in September. Then the Nations League and the difficult qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will start – only two starting places for European teams will still be allocated. The next European Championship will take place in Switzerland in 2025.
Neuendorf calls for optimism
With a view to the future of Voss-Tecklenburg, Popp demanded that the team first question itself. You should “first take a look at your own nose, then we can approach other people,” she said, and also expressed the desire for an expert in the association with the main responsibility for sporting matters in women’s football – and “that after one time not that It’s all going down the drain.”
DFB President Neuendorf, who actually wanted to travel to the round of 16, pleaded not to be “so pessimistic” about the further development of women’s football. Whether Captain Popp will continue to accompany the way seems questionable. Marina Hegering, the oldest World Cup player in the DFB squad at 33, could also retire.
It is also unclear so far when and how the players will return to Germany. After arriving in Wyong, the 70-strong DFB entourage is to fly “gradually” from Sydney to Frankfurt. However, a joint return journey in one plane is not possible due to the short notice. The DFB had obviously planned to reach the round of 16.
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The team flies from Brisbane to Newcastle this Friday and then drives back to base camp in Wyong. This will be resolved in the next few days. Regeneration training or the like is no longer planned. The players will be on vacation after their return, although some Bundesliga clubs have already started preparing for the new season. On Saturday (3:00 a.m. CEST), Voss-Tecklenburg and Chatzialexiou want to provide more information in Australia.