Markus Lanz (ZDF): Debate about rainbow flag is pure "hashtag politics"

After the game between the DFB-Elf against Hungary, Markus Lanz went into the analysis on ZDF. But the stadiums in rainbow colors were also up for debate.

Berlin – In the evening, when the Jogi Löw era was almost over, Markus Lanz only knew one topic on ZDF: football. But not only the draw of the DFB-Elf at the EM 2021 against Hungary, which made it into the round of 16 by a hair’s breadth, was the topic, but also the so-called rainbow debate. While the Munich Olympic Stadium was not allowed to shine brightly, other stadiums in Germany showed their colors and attitude.

But before it got political, the panel discussion on Wednesday evening was about the hard-won draw against Hungary. As already after the opening defeat against France, the experienced coach Ewald Lienen hardly gave a good hair to the decisions of Joachim Löw, whose adherence to his beloved triple chain drove Lienen to despair. But Löw was not to blame for everything: The lack of strong full-backs and classic sixes determined the line-up. The existing playful superiority, on the other hand, is repeatedly undone by hair-raising mistakes.

Talk at Markus Lanz (ZDF): Why is Kai Haavertz being replaced, but Sané is allowed to stay?

Löw’s change also caused puzzles, for example for football expert Marcel Reif, who wondered why Kai Haavertz, the only goal-threatening player, was substituted immediately after his goal to equalize. Why not Leroy Sané instead, who was once again unable to achieve his potential.

When it came to Sané, the conversation naturally also turned to the subject of body language and posture, where sports expert Gaby Papenburg asked herself why the Bayern player always seems a bit absent. The new German hero Robin Gosens, whose unusual career path has been described up and down in the last few days, is completely different. Not to play in a performance center at 14, but to be individually responsible for your career – that seems to be Gosen’s recipe for success.

Marcel Reif at Markus Lanz (ZDF): “The era of hero football is over”

The Atalanta Bergamo player came onto the big stage almost out of nowhere, singer and presenter Giovanni Zarrella had had him on the list for a long time as a big fan of the Italian league. One type is Gosen and therefore very different from the many streamlined players, who are trained too early on all rough edges.

Nevertheless: “The era of hero football is over” claims Marcel Reif, the era in which players like Messi or Ronaldo almost single-handedly shoot a team for titles is coming to an end, in the future it will depend more on the team. Individual games will still be decided by stars, but even a star will have to be much more at the service of the team.

Debate about rainbow lighting at Markus Lanz (ZDF): “UEFA own goal”

Whether this will save football from commerce remains to be seen, how difficult it is for the associations to accept harmless political statements, as demonstrated by the farce surrounding the lighting of the Munich Olympic Stadium. As Gaby Papenburg noted, UEFA scored an own goal with the ban, as there has rarely been as much talk about the rainbow color or the homophobic Hungarian society as in the last few days.

Well-intentioned but not well-thought-out, Marcel Reif called the action, which he of course supported in the core, but also showed understanding for the stance of UEFA, which simply followed its regulations. Is the lighting of a stadium more than just action? More than a cheap symbol that costs nothing and will be forgotten next week? Lanz called it “hashtag politics” and noted that despite the occasional sympathy for the rights of homosexuals, still no active professional footballer has dared to come out. Difficult questions that go beyond the sport, which is now taking a two-day break before the Löw era is extended. (Michael Meyns)