Football match scheduled. - Tiefensee and Neuendorf: The EURO 2024 championship is a gain for society
Wolfgang Tiefensee, Economic Minister of Thuringia (SPD), and Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German Football Association (DFB), aspire for the national team's training camp in Blankenhain to serve as a beacon for a resilient democracy and social unity. During the press conference for the national team's EURO 2020 preparation, Tiefensee highlighted the importance of a refreshing sense of excitement, stating, "Every EM brings its own identity."
Bernd Neuendorf, the DFB president, acknowledged football's ability to integrate, but expressed his worry over the rising instances of racism and antisemitism in politics. Tiefensee reaffirmed the assessment from the Thuringia local election, which demonstrated that "most people are democrats."
The DFB squad will wrap up their first training camp in Blankenhain by Friday. This marks the first time an A-team tournament preparation would occur in eastern Germany. Neuendorf explicitly chose the location as a tribute to "residents of the new federal states, who are no longer so new." The 62-year-old recalled the EURO 1988, when Leipzig and Berlin didn't host any matches before the fall of the Berlin Wall, resulting in the first joint German EURO.
Neuendorf acknowledged that the jubilant atmosphere of the 2006 World Cup hosted in Germany cannot be automatically replicated. "Every tournament has its unique narrative, even the summer fairy tale was improvised," he said.
Tiefensee is optimistic about the long-term advantages of the DFB team's training camp and the presence of England during the EURO 2020 in Blankenhain. The 1.5-million-euro investment is, according to the SPD politician, "well-invested money," as he foresees an economic return exceeding the initial investment. The benefit derived from hosting EURO 2020 would not have been possible through any marketing effort for Thuringia.
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Source: www.stern.de
