Ex-national player Thomas Hitzlsperger also sees the upcoming European Championship as an opportunity to take his mind off crises. "A month where we can enjoy soccer, a little distraction from everyday life. But I would never expect this team to change and improve society in the long term," said the 41-year-old at the Leipzig Book Fair on Saturday.
The players' task is rather to play good and inspiring soccer so that the fans have a good time. The European Championship matches will take place from June 14 to July 14 in ten German cities.
"It would be a big gain to get away from the negative reports and this hatred for a month," said the 2008 European Championship runner-up. In contrast to the 2006 World Cup, social media and thus also anonymous hatred on the Internet played a greater role. "Today, anyone can vent their hatred - anonymously and we see it. And that is hurtful," said Hitzlsperger.
Hitzlsperger played a total of 52 times for the German national team. He came third in the 2006 World Cup. Most recently, he was CEO of VfB Stuttgart until the end of March 2022.
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