German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sparked a wave of surprise and sharp criticism on the "X" platform, after he posted a tweet in which he praised the German team after its shameful exit from the 2026 World Cup.
Meretz said in his post: "Even if the exit is painful: what a game, you have ignited the enthusiasm of our country with your effort and collective spirit in this tournament. We are proud of you."
This attitude brought Chancellor Sila Garva angry and sarcastic comments from German fans on social media.
Famous German comedian Oliver Bocher intervened on the "Instagram" platform, criticizing the post, saying, "I hope that the account has been hacked, but it also reflects the situation in this country," stressing that there is nothing to be beautified in this historic defeat after a performance that he described as "disastrous and embarrassing."
Boucher expressed concern about the way the adviser evaluates political files if this is his analysis of the sports reality.
Acknowledgment of full responsibility
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich summed up the frustrating state of the Mannschaft mission, acknowledging the bitterness of the failure and its impact on the fans who were waiting for an achievement to be proud of.
The Bayern Munich star said transparently: "We players who were on the pitch were the ones who messed it up, it wasn't the coach, not the media, not the referee, not the opponent, it was just us."
German football fans on the X platform were unanimous in their criticism of the team's lackluster performance in their last match against Paraguay, which ended in Germany's first World Cup penalty shootout loss, but Health Minister Karl Lauterbach gave a similar assessment to Chancellor Mertz, trying to downplay the defeat.
International Press Shock
The German newspaper "Welt" quoted the reactions of the international sports press that attacked the performance of the Bundesliga, where the Spanish newspaper "Marca" said: "Germany is no longer Germany. In two consecutive World Cups, they have been knocked out of the group stage, which is an unprecedented negative achievement," while Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport confirmed that what happened was "a resounding fall and a complete failure of coach Nagelsmann."
The widely circulated newspaper Bild described the position of Chancellor Merz and his health minister as detached from reality and politically embarrassing, summing up the situation with a scathing phrase in which she asserted that "Mertz is making himself a laughing stock with his publication," which contradicts the general sentiment of the German street.
Germany's failure at the 2026 World Cup is an extension of a series of historic stumbles by the Mannschaft, whose global luster has waned in recent editions, leaving the sports street in a state of boiling.
The sporting failure quickly turned into a political and media debate in Berlin due to the attempt of the government leaders, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, to "beautify the defeat" in constructive terms, which the public and the media considered a complete detachment from the football and political reality, and a deepening of the crisis of confidence in the official administration of the country.
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