No fortune for the European Champions in France

The 1998 FIFA World Cup produced a new name on the roll of honour: France. Contrary to 1938, the hosts used their home advantage to the full this time.

As in the 1930s, the Germans again did not present themselves in the best of lights between the Seine and Rhone. German hooligans showed the world their ugly face at the finals when leaving a trail of violence across the peaceful countryside. The date was Sunday, 21 June 1998 when Gendarme Daniel Nivel was knocked unconscious by a iron bar and then seriously injured after being kicked in the head during street riots in Lens. The then 44-year-old father of two suffered severe permanent brain damage. A deeply shocked Egidius Braun, the President of the German Football Association (DFB), even wanted to withdraw the national team from the competition after the 2-2 draw against Yugoslavia on the same day. The clearly upset top DFB official said in Marseille: “This is the blackest day of my life. I’ve thought about returning home. It’s sheer terrorism. Braun changed his mind and decided to stay. “We can’t yield to violence,” he stated after consulting the International Football Federation (FIFA). The German perpetrators were eventually arrested and later sentenced to prison for several years. Under the aegis of Braun, a foundation to support Nivel was set up by the DFB, who did all they possibly could to help the policeman and his family.

Too late, but Vogts finally hands the No. 1 shirt to Köpke in 1994

Germany, whose head coach at the time was Berti Vogts, remained in the title hunt after beating USA 2-0 in the opening match staged in the Parc du Prince stadium – but they, the reigning European champions, had no chance of winning the World Cup. The 2-2 draw against Yugoslavia, a 2-0 win in Montpellier against Iran in the third group match and a 2-1 success against Mexico, also in Montpellier, in the round of the last 16 covered up the team’s actual potential. But the team had used up all their luck by the time the quarterfinal match against Croatia in Lyon came around. The road to disaster started when defender Christian Wörns was sent off in the 40th minute. Wörns fouled Davor Suker, who went on to become the top scorer at the World Cup, close to the half way line and was red-carded. Strikes by Jarni just before half-time, Vlaovic in the 80th minute and Suker in the 85th downed Germany 3-0. Vogts then reacted rather oddly. There were phases when he lost control of the team in their quarters close to Nice on the Cote d’Azur. In his analysis afterwards he said, “We’ve got to get used to not being the inventors of football.” Even worse were the strange accusations the European Championship winning coach directed at the world’s governing body. The FIFA had conspired against the German team, claimed Vogts. Even the people around him reacted with astonishment especially as the head coach not only uttered the words in the immediate disappointment after the match but he reiterated the same sentiments a day later.

Vogts’ era as Germany’s national coach came to an end two months later. His name represented the time following the 1990 FIFA World Cup up to autumn 1998. It was also the time of Andreas Köpke, who won – under Franz Beckenbauer – the first of his 59 caps in the 1-0 win against Denmark shortly before the 1990 World Cup in Italy on 30 May 1990. Wearing the No. 22 jersey, he was third in the German team’s goalkeeping pecking order behind Bodo Illgner and Raimond Aumann when they won the 1990 title. Köpke worked his way up to second in line in the following four years.

One of the main talking points prior to the 1994 finals was whether Vogts would continue to entrust the World Cup winner Illgner with the goalkeeping position or whether he should establish Köpke as his new first choice keeper. Vogts kept faith with Illgner. It was a decision he was later to regret. The Cologne keeper was no longer able to produce his excellent 1990 form. After winning 54 caps, the bitter defeat against the Bulgarians at the 1994 FIFA World Cup proved to be his last game in the national side as he retired from international football at the “tender” age of 27.

Allotted the No. 12 jersey in USA, Köpke now took over in goal for Germany with the No. 1 on his back. From then on Vogts trusted Köpke and Köpke Vogts. Born in Kiel, he had waited a long time for the day when he was to become the regular keeper for the three-time World Cup winners. “It was always a great motivation for me. I wanted to defend the position with everything I had.” The biggest triumph Vogts and Köpke celebrated together was the 1996 European Championship win in England. Köpke shone as a penalty killer against Italy’s Zola in the group match and when facing the English defender Gareth Southgate in the semifinal. He saved everything there was to be saved and he played above himself. Köpke impressed everybody with his spectacular saves. An English paper coined the appropriate headline: “The greatest German puncher since Max Schmeling.” The scene when he fended off the penalty in the semifinal in Wembley, which left the nation in despair, has been immortalised in a video titled “Football's coming home”.

Disaster for both Vogts and Köpke: the downfall in 1998

After appearing at five major finals, Köpke, who was named “the German goalkeeper of the decade”, retired from international football after the quarterfinal defeat at the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals in France. He had, after all, kept Oliver Kahn at bay at two tournaments. The Munich goalkeeper, who had hoped to replace Illgner four years earlier, stepped into Köpke’s shoes after 1998. Andreas Köpke was born in Kiel on 12 March 1962. He loved playing football right from an early age and was initially a right winger for Holstein Kiel but then moved from the outfield to between the posts whilst still in the junior ranks. “Andy” Köpke made his Bundesliga debut in 1983 when playing for Berlin’s second division club, SC Charlottenburg. After they were relegated, he moved across the city to Hertha BSC Berlin for a two year spell before being transferred to the first division club 1. FC Nuremberg in 1986. Köpke remained there until the 1993/1994 season. This was followed by two years at Eintracht Frankfurt and a further two years in the French first division at Olympique Marseille. In 1998 Köpke finally returned to Nuremberg to whom he remained faithful even after the club was relegated to the second division.

A farewell match in front of a capacity 40,000 crowd in Nuremberg’s “Franken Stadium” on 15 July 2001 marked his retirement from the professional game. Köpke had by that time made a total of 577 appearances in the Bundesliga and scored two goals. After almost 20 years in the game “Andy” said “good-bye” along with fellow players such as Jürgen Klinsmann and Rudi Völler.

Köpkes trick with the scraps of paper

His former team-mate Jürgen Klinsmann signed up Andreas Köpke three years later for the German Football Association (DFB). After replacing Sepp Maier as the head goalkeeping coach, Köpke has been responsible for the DFB’s goalkeepers since October 2004. One of his jobs was to prepare the keepers Jens Lehmann, Oliver Kahn and Timo Hildebrand for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ and Lehmann, Robert Enke and Rene Adler for UEFA EURO 2008™. His contract with the DFB runs until the 2010 World Cup in South Africa™. A legendary moment was the scene during the “2006 Summer Fairy Tale” quarterfinal in Berlin when Köpke handed Jens Lehmann a scrap of paper noting how the Argentine players generally hit their penalties. Lehmann tucked the note in his socks and the tips were invaluable in helping him to thwart the South Americans.