It is still unclear whether Felix Magath will bring the medicine balls that he likes to use during training to the Spitalacker sports field in Bern. That’s why he’s also called “Quälix”. But one thing is clear: he wants to know it again.
After the disgrace last year, when FC Bundestag came last at the European Parliamentary Football Championship, the 70-year-old is also in charge of the German Bundestag’s selection of representatives at the European Championships this year. This will take place on May 10th and 11th in the capital of Switzerland, where Germany surprisingly became football world champions in 1954. With Magath they are betting on a new “Miracle of Bern,” says captain Mahmut Özdemir. The SPD politician personally convinced the former master coach of FC Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg of the commitment.
In Bern, Magath has to work with the staff who have been elected to parliament by the people – and some of them are not in the best shape in terms of physical size and fitness due to the strenuous job of a politician. “Whether Felix Magath Titanic I don’t know if it would have saved me. But the survivors would have been in great shape,” Jan Åge Fjørtoft, one of his players at Eintracht Frankfurt, once said.
Magath’s commitment is limited to the duration of the tournament and the schedule in Bern is so tight that there will hardly be any time for hard training sessions. Especially since there will also be a guided tour of the Wankdorf Stadium to get you in the mood. Germany celebrated their World Cup triumph in 1954 there. “We are determined to squeeze out every percent to repeat the unforgettable title win in 2022 and to give our senior national team courage for the home European Championships in 2024,” emphasizes captain Özdemir.
It is the 51st European Parliamentary Championship. In addition to the FC Bundestag, teams from the parliaments of Finland, Austria and Switzerland will take part. It is a “huge act” to get four teams on one date and in one place, says the FC Bundestag, considering the small field of participants. There are two games on May 10th, against Switzerland in the morning and against Austria in the afternoon. The fact that a big party is scheduled for Friday evening in the Swiss Federal Palace could be more detrimental to further performances. Finally, the game against Finland follows on Saturday morning.
Green MP Tina Winklmann is the only woman in the squad. The SPD member of the Bundestag Herbert Wollmann, a doctor, is there as a team doctor. Magath’s coaching commitment is overshadowed by a majority decision in the FC Bundestag to exclude AfD representatives from games. Since it is an intergroup business trip, this is not legally possible – and so AfD MP Malte Kaufmann has also registered for the EM trip. “But he won’t step on the pitch,” it’s said internally. The sporting director Oliver Luksic (FDP) will ensure this when it comes to the line-up – so despite his CV, Magath only has limited decision-making power here.