Germany: Summer Soccer Fairytale in 2024 - These documentaries about EM offer an ideal method for preparation.
Starting from June 14th, King's Football will set up camp in Germany. The excitement of hosting the European Championship 2024 is comparable to that of the 2006 World Cup, which had a bittersweet finish for the German national team when they lost to Italy in the semi-finals. However, that tournament remains a vivid memory which eventually turned into a happy ending with Germany's victory in the 2014 World Cup.
For fans looking to revisit these football memories or learn about the upcoming European Championship, there are several documentaries to choose from. But, which ones are worth watching?
A controversial documentary surfaces
The documentary "Germany. Football. Summer Dream 2024?" is set to air on June 5th at 20:15 on the First. It features sports presenter Esther Sedlaczek (38), who interviews national coach Julian Nagelsmann (36) and Joachim Loew (64), coach of the World Cup-winning team in 2014. This 75-minute-long film also incorporates the social, political context of football through Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (43). You can already stream this docu on ARD-Mediathek.
In the ARD-Mediathek, there's also "Consensus, Law, and Diversity: The National Team between Racism and Identification" available for streaming. This documentary scheduled to air on June 5th (9:30 pm) on the First, features Jonathan Tah (28), Shkodran Mustafi (32), and Gerald Asamoah (45) discussing the ugly side of football - racism, harassment, and exclusion.
However, this film made headlines after a survey featured within it. The question "Do you prefer it if there are more white players in the German national team?" was allegedly answered by 21% of respondents with "yes". World Cup winner coach Joachim Loew (64) and National team player Joshua Kimmich (29) were quick to criticize this as being "racist" and "counterproductive".
"Home Advantage - with Tommi Schmitt"
There's another documentary called "Home Advantage: A New Summer Dream?" in the ZDF-Mediathek. Featuring former national team stars like Jürgen Klinsmann (59) and Philipp Lahm (40), it compares the experiences from 2006 with the upcoming sports event.
Tommi Schmitt (35), podcaster and moderator, wasn't far behind these ex-national players. He spent time with three (former) national players - Marc-André ter Stegen (32), Robin Gosens (29), and Niclas Füllkrug (31) – for his own doc.
Other intriguing insider's perspectives
ZDF also has a doc named "UEFA - Football. Power. Money." which explains how much the cost of hosting a major sporting event like the European Championship can be, and the distribution of these funds. Football isn't just about sports and spirit; it's also about the dynamics of money.
Apart from the upcoming European Championship, you can also re-live Germany's journey to the fourth World Championship through the ZDF-Mediathek's documentary "We Are World Champions. Football World Cup 2014 Adventure", presented in four installments. This series retraces the journey of the German national team to their world championship victory - with a surprise 7:1 win against hosts Brazil.
Read also:
- Esther Sedlaczek, a prominent sports presenter, conducts interviews for the controversial documentary "Germany. Football. Summer Dream 2024?".
- The German national team, eager to make amends from their 2006 semi-finals loss to Italy during the World Cup, has the opportunity to create a summer fairytale at the European Championship 2024.
- In preparation for the European Championship 2024, fans can stream the documentary "Consensus, Law, and Diversity: The National Team between Racism and Identification" from the ARD-Mediathek.
- The documentary "Germany. Football. Summer Dream 2024?" presents an ideal method for attunement, showcasing interviews with Julian Nagelsmann, Joachim Loew, and Annalena Baerbock.
- Former national team stars Jürgen Klinsmann and Philipp Lahm offer their insights in the ZDF-Mediathek's documentary "Home Advantage: A New Summer Dream?".
- The documentary "UEFA - Football. Power. Money." provides an in-depth look at the financial dynamics surrounding the European Championship, highlighting both the spirit of football and the cost of hosting major events.
- The "We Are World Champions. Football World Cup 2014 Adventure" series, available on the ZDF-Mediathek, recounts Germany's journey to their 2014 World Cup victory, including their notable 7:1 win against Brazil.
- The ZDF-Mediathek also offers "Professional Footballers and Society: The EM as a Mirror" documenting the societal impact of the European Championship through interviews with renowned athletes like Julian Nagelsmann and Tommi Schmitt.
- After a survey featured in "Consensus, Law, and Diversity: The National Team between Racism and Identification" garnered controversy for allegedly showing a 21% preference for more white players on the German national team, World Cup winner coach Joachim Loew and national team player Joshua Kimmich criticized it as being "racist" and "counterproductive".
- Another informative documentary presented by the ARD-Mediathek is "The National Team in Crisis: Unknown and Unreported Stories of the 1990s" which sheds light on the trials and tribulations faced by the German national team during the 90s.
