Repeat of the EURO 1996™ final between Germany and the Czech Republic

Montreux. Reminiscences of a great event 10 years ago were triggered when Germany and the Czech Republic were drawn into qualifying Pool D for the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship™. This ensured there will be a repeat of the EURO 1996™ final in England, during the qualifying run-in for the UEFA EURO 2008™ final round in Austria and Switzerland.

“Of course I’m thinking of my Golden Goal at Wembley Stadium in London which gave us the title”, said Oliver Bierhoff, who scored the 1-1 equaliser as a substitute in the final on June 30, 1996, thus leading the German team into extra time. The striker, then playing with Udinese Calcio in Italy, also achieved Germany’s 2-1 victory with the Golden Goal, which on that occasion brought an immediate end to the top class game.

At the draw in Montreux on January 27th, 2006, a few of Bierhoff’s and Klinsmann’s prominent predecessors were reminded of earlier European finals. In 1976, for instance, Franz Beckenbauer and Co. lost to Czechoslovakia after extra time and penalties. Since the political changes 15 years ago, the Czechs and Slovaks now have separate national teams. There will be “local derbies” in Pool D of the qualification for UEFA EURO 2008™, because both the Czech  Republic and Slovakia were drawn together, with Ireland, Cyprus, Wales, San Marino and Germany.

“This group is conquerable. We can be happy that we don’t have to travel as far as the teams in Pool A”, Klinsmann said, expressing great respect for the opponents. “Once again there will be keen emotional battles against Ireland and Wales, with a fantastic atmosphere. The Czech Republic belong among the world’s top teams. Our experiences against Slovakia were not helped by losing 2-0 in Bratislava in September 2005. This should not happen again”, the national coach commented. The DFB’s record in international matches against all these nations is positive. However, the Germans have never yet played San Marino.

But Klinsmann also emphasises: “We have not yet been thinking at all about the European Championship qualification. We can start planning within the association and shall watch the opponents intensively as of now. But the countdown for the FIFA World Cup™ enjoys absolute priority”, said the 41-year-old, who has made an extension of his contract as DFB head coach dependent on his team’s results at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. But the Swabian is convinced the three-time World and three-time European champions will discover winning form on home soil during the World Cup: “I’m very confident that we will play a good FIFA World Cup™”. After that, the successes of the German national team that failed only once to qualify for the finals of the UEFA European Football Championship™, since its inception 1968, should be continued. “It has happened several times that we had problems in the qualifiers, but in the end we invariably finished as group winners”, Klinsmann recounted.

First place is not the unconditional prerequisite for participation in the UEFA EURO 2008™, because for the first time all runners-up in the seven qualifying pools will also qualify directly for the final round. The system of play-offs between runners-up at the past few tournaments has been abolished by the European Football Association, UEFA. For the first time, UEFA did not seed the DFB team among the top eight nations for the draw. This was the consequence of the weak results at the 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Football Championships™ when Germany was eliminated in the preliminary rounds.

“I don’t see any advantage for us with the UEFA European Football Championship™ taking place in two neighbouring countries”, Klinsmann said, adding “but our fans won’t have to travel so far and will fill the stadiums”. Klinsmann left Switzerland immediately after the draw, watched three Bundesliga matches in three days, with 16 of his 28 FIFA World Cup™ squad involved. The first meeting of his national players in the FIFA World Cup™ year took place in Dusseldorf in the last days of January. Klinsmann and Bierhoff and their staff intensively tuned the cream of German professionals to the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. UEFA EURO 2008™ still features as a minor consideration, but that will change after the FIFA World Cup™.