Germany and England both backed out of wearing rainbow-colored "One love" armbands during the World Cup in Qatar.Continue reading
Former German world champion footballer Lothar Matthäus gave an interview to Hungarian sports newspaper Nemzeti Sport, where he said that the atmosphere in Qatar was excellent. He also said that Hungary would have had a place at the World Cup, given its performance in the Nations League.
Lothar Matthäus has a distinguished record: he won the Ballon d’Or, was voted the world’s best athlete, and captained the world champion German team. He has played 150 times for the German national team and was for a time the captain of the Hungarian national team. He also partly resided in Budapest.
The world-class player was interviewed by Nemzeti Sport in Qatar, where the poor performance of the German national team was discussed, among other things. Matthäus said that it was a mistake to focus on the rainbow-colored armband and different ideologies instead of the game, and that the Germans should not have ended the World Cup with group matches.
Asked if the Hungarian national team had a place in the World Cup field, Matthäus replied, “of course, why not?”.
He said Hungary could have been Morocco’s team, a surprise small team, given that Hungarians had scored six points against England and four against Germany in the Nations League.
He added that the world had changed a lot since he was captain of the Hungarian team. “Back then, more people went to water polo matches than football matches,” said Matthäus. However, he added that since then, Viktor Orbán’s government has built beautiful new stadiums and invested a lot of money in Hungarian sport, especially football.
The former footballer also met the Hungarian Prime Minister in Qatar, with whom he shares a love of football, as well as a love of clear, straight talk and good decisions. “He is the best decision for Hungary, he is doing a great job,” Matthäus emphasized.
Featured photo via Facebook/Lothar Matthäus
