The DFB's plan to hold the press conferences at the World Cup in their own quarters is not working. Instead, FIFA insists that national coach Flick and Co. travel to Doha, more than 100 kilometers away. Before the Spain game, the DFB therefore risks a penalty.
One day before the important World Cup group game against Spain, the German Football Association violated FIFA regulations. In addition to national coach Hansi Flick, no national player will sit on the podium at the obligatory press conference this Saturday afternoon. The DFB announced this a little more than an hour before the appointment scheduled for 4:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. CET) at the international media center in Doha.
The reason for the decision is the processes of the national team on the day before the second World Cup game. The final training session for the Spain duel was scheduled by Flick for 7:30 p.m. Qatar time (5:30 p.m./CET) in Al-Shamal, not far from the team hotel and thus a good hour’s drive from the Pk location. A reaction from FIFA was requested. A fine is possible.
According to FIFA regulations, teams are required to hold a press conference the day before with the head coach and one player. This rule is set out in Article 44 of the Tournament Rules. It was sent to the teams again in detail in a circular, as confirmed by FIFA.
A press conference without a full DFB cast is not a World Cup novelty. In 2010, the then national coach Joachim Löw was absent from the tournament in South Africa in the media round before the World Cup round of 16 against England (4:1). He sent goalkeeping coach Andreas Koepke. At that time, the DFB justified this approach by moving the final training session to another stadium at short notice. Löw could not have followed the unit to the end to be at the Pk in time. There was no FIFA penalty back then.
In Qatar, the DFB had hoped to hold the final press conference at its media center in Al-Shamal, not far from the team hotel. However, FIFA organizes all final media rounds in Doha and now insisted on the DFB delegation appearing. The media center in the capital is more than 100 kilometers away from the German team headquarters and training ground in the very north of Qatar. In the event of a defeat against Spain on Sunday (8 p.m. CET/ZDF, MagentaTV and in the live ticker on ntv.de), Germany is threatened with elimination after the preliminary round.
At the press conference before the start of the World Cup against Japan (1: 2) on Tuesday, Joshua Kimmich took part as a player alongside Flick. However, since the game took place in Doha, the entire DFB entourage had already traveled to the capital the day before. This time, the national team will travel to the Al-Bait Stadium in Al-Khour, about 70 kilometers from the World Cup base, on the day of the match.
