The four-time champions of the FIFA World Cup were eliminated in the group stage in Qatar.
Germany’s early exit from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is a “serious failure” for the nation, according to former Russian national team coach Valery Gazzaev. He accused the country’s players of spending more time on LGBT issues than football.
Germany suffered a second successive group-stage departure at the World Cup when Japan’s victory over Spain on Thursday night meant that Hansi Flick’s team were packing their bags despite earning a win over Costa Rica.
Since triumphing at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, Germany have now fallen at the first hurdle in both the Russian and Qatari editions of the tournament.
“When a team like Germany doesn’t make it out of the group for the second World Cup in a row, it’s a sign of failure in German football,” said Gazzaev in an interview.
“I think that German football will draw the appropriate conclusions. This is definitely a failure. Germany have always been on the list of favorites for major international tournaments, whether it’s the Euros or the World Cup.
“For the past two years, the team has shown an extremely low level in terms of the game and the results.
“Hence the failure that happens for the second World Cup in a row. But it is worth noting that today there are teams in Qatar that are much stronger,” added Gazzaev, who led CSKA Moscow to the UEFA Cup title in 2005.
