RTL shows historic final of the DFB team
The German U17 national soccer team will play for the World Cup title next weekend - the first DFB youth team to do so in 36 years. This historic final from a German perspective will also be shown on free-to-air TV.
Next Saturday, for the first time ever, a German U17 national soccer team will be competing for the World Cup title - and RTL will be joining the World Cup broadcast at short notice for the big climax. The broadcaster will show the DFB team's final against France on December 2 from 1 p.m. with presenter Florian König and commentators Marco Hagemann and Steffen Freund.
The German team had made it to the final in Surakarta, Indonesia, with a dramatic victory over Argentina: the South Americans had only equalized deep into stoppage time to make it 3-3, with Konstantin Heide becoming the match-winner in the subsequent penalty shoot-out. The goalkeeper saved two of Argentina's attempts and captain Paris Brunner then sent his team through to the final. The final is a rematch of the European Championship final from July. Back then, the DFB juniors won the title after a penalty shoot-out.
The U17s are only the fourth German U-team to reach a World Cup final. The U20 team lost it in 1987, as did the U16s two years earlier. The only junior title to date was won by the U20s in 1981 with players such as Rüdiger Vollborn, Michael Zorc, Ralf Loose and Roland Wohlfarth.
During the tournament, players from the team became the target of racist comments, with a picture of captain Paris Brunner and his Dortmund club colleagues Charles Herrmann and Almugera Kabar as well as Fayssal Harchaoui (1. FC Köln) attracting a large number of hate comments on social media. This is another reason why this year's journey to the final is an extraordinary one.
"This is a great honor"
"The boys give their hearts to our country, they were all born in Germany, they are all proud to be able to play with the eagle on their chest. It's a great honor, and you can tell," said U17 national coach Christian Wück - and sent a clear signal to racist social media users. "We won't be able to prevent racist comments from a few idiots, unfortunately they exist all over the world. I believe that Germany is now very proud of the team," said Wück after the semi-final victory against Argentina.
German soccer celebrities are also cheering on the DFB juniors: "We hope that they take the final step and reward themselves with the title," said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel. Hans-Joachim Watzke also congratulated the U17s. "These are exactly the stories that German soccer needs! My compliments go to the team and the coaching staff. What they have achieved is simply fantastic," said the 1st Vice President of the German Football Association. "It was very emotional, very exciting and I'm extremely happy that we've reached the final," said the 64-year-old.
The DFB Juniors, currently competing in the World Cup, have managed to reach the final for the first time in 36 years, which will be shown on free-to-air TV by RTL. In addition to supporting the U17 national soccer team, the DFB also manages the DFB Juniors, showcasing their talent and dedication to the sport.
Source: www.ntv.de
