Germany hosts Euro 2024: Kicking its way out of the crisis? | To the point

Europe’s largest football tournament is in full swing, fans from China to Brazil are following the action as Germany hosts the UEFA championship for the first time since reunification 35 years ago.

The fans like the ample flow of beer…and don’t seem to mind an occasional cascade of rain. But can Germany live up to its reputation as a model of efficiency and organization?

Delayed trains frustrate fans traveling to the matches…And discourage Germans, for whom such problems are just one more symbol of decline.

Can a diverse and agile German team help lift a nation riven by doubts and divisions out of its crisis? Our question+++Thema+++ "Germany hosts Euro 2024: Kicking its way out of the crisis?

our guests:

+++Guy Chazan heads the Berlin bureau of the Financial Times

+++ Matthew Karnitschnig is Politico’s Chief Europe Correspondent

+++ Danya Barsalona reports on sports and football for DW and is a player herself: a midfielder for the German club Viktoria Berlin, she has also played for teams in Norway and Spain.

0:00 Intro

01:00 Introduction of the guest

02:00 Is Germany a good host?

02:30 Complaints about delayed trains

03:00 The Euros is “bigger” than Copa America

03:20 Football can divert attention in times of crisis

05:00 Euro2024 comes at “the right time” to boost a gloomy mood

06:00 Can football bring people together and unite a fragmented continent?

07:00 Can football actually deliver economic benefits?

08:50 Summer fairytail 2006 was different; beginning of the boom years in Germany

11:00 2006 was a time of political reform

12:00 World cup is a big event and has more impact; visitors stay longer

14:00 Germany plagued by self-doubt

14:30 A plethora of Chinese ads reflects the state of the German economy

15:44 There is a malaise in Germany right now

17:00 Dangerous point in Germany’s history

18:30 How supportive are Germans of such a diverse team?

19:30 The team is a good representation of German society

21:00 Does Germany have a problem with xenophobia?

23:00 Racism and anti-immigrant sentiment are on the rise

25:00 The diversity of the German team is a strength also on the pitch