Germany's shock defeat to Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage has drawn sharp criticism from national icon Lothar Matthäus, who pointed to excessive family involvement as a significant distraction.
Matthäus, who captained West Germany to a World Cup victory in 1990, suggested in an interview with German newspaper Bild that the team treated the tournament as a "free family trip" to the United States, rather than remaining solely focused on competition. He noted that "wives, families, everyone was involved" and that this led to "a lot of unrest" within the squad.
"I don’t know why you have to involve all the families right from the start," Matthäus stated, according to The Sun. "Then it’s about travel options, about hotel bookings. That was all a topic within the team."
He elaborated on internal disputes arising from travel arrangements, citing an instance where one player was reportedly upset that another's mother was permitted to travel with the team while other players' wives and children had to arrange commercial flights. "The others had to take a commercial flight," he said.
According to Matthäus, this focus on family logistics detracted from the team's performance. "Despite all that, the focus simply wasn’t on this World Cup. It was always a free family day and another free family day."
He suggested that families should only be invited later in the tournament, ideally for quarter-final matches, contingent on the team's success. "They can fly in for the quarter-finals if the team has achieved something," he remarked.
The German team's early departure followed a 1-1 draw against Paraguay, with the match decided by a penalty shootout. This marked a significant upset, as Germany, a four-time World Cup champion, had never previously lost a World Cup penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's wife, Anika Neuer, was among the family members present at the match in Boston.
Fellow goalkeeper Oliver Baumann was also seen with his wife after Germany's group stage loss to Ecuador. The team's defeat in the Round of 32 has led to widespread reflection on their campaign.
Paraguay is set to advance to the Round of 16, where they will face France in Philadelphia.