Women's European Football Championship | "Respect for women is lacking"

Kathrin Längert, how important is the European Championship for women’s football in Germany?

The national team is our flagship and our visibility . Our success, including in the league, depends on the success of the women's national team. If we win the title, we can make demands; if we are eliminated early, as at the 2023 World Cup, then people will quickly say: "The women want more money, but their sporting performance isn't there." There is a lack of fundamental respect for women. If we are successful, we are allowed to exist. But if something goes wrong on the pitch, we are immediately questioned. And yet it is the conditions we are given that may be preventing us from being more successful.

What are these conditions?

It starts in the clubs: The women are always the least important team. They get the worst training times, the worst equipment. On top of that, there are too few football pitches. The girls' teams often miss out. There is, of course, a lack of money in professionalization. Many players, even in the Bundesliga, reach the point where they have to decide: Do I go into my real job now that I've finished my studies and could earn twice as much? This means we are constantly losing talent. If we had a living wage and the players could concentrate on football, they would be much more productive. You can simply lift more weight during strength training if you haven't already spent eight hours at university or at work. This means the training effect is smaller and leads to more injuries. Incidentally, these last longer for women than for men because medical care is inadequate. Young women become disabled because they tear their cruciate ligaments and do not heal properly.

Men's professional clubs have recently been investing more heavily in women's football. What do you think about this?

Of course, the money available in men's football can help the women's section. Union Berlin, for example, was late to the game, but they've shown that you can quickly do a lot of good with limited resources. They've really attracted a lot of fans to the stadium and increased the club's prestige. And of course, professionalization is good for the players. I'm happy when they have their own training ground, a full-time physiotherapist, and decent salaries. On the other hand, we're now being governed by men from men's football. They have nothing to do with our game or our identity, and they don't know anything about it. And I'm skeptical that we'll then be dependent on their budgets. HSV already forced its women's team to be relegated in order to save €750,000 for the men's section. I think it would be great if we were seen as equal departments and if women also had influence over the men's section.

As a result of this development, men's fans are increasingly turning to women. What does this mean?

I fear that we'll lose some of our own fan culture as a result, that we'll disappear into the men's licensed clubs, and their fans will think, "Okay, then we'll do it just like the men." So-called highlight games are moved to large stadiums, and large crowds come. That's a good stage, of course. But then there are also fans there who don't even know the players, who approach 14-year-old girls and shout "cunt" from the stage. That's a tone and a fan culture that has absolutely nothing to do with women's football. On the contrary: Our fans want a relaxed atmosphere – not drunken men.

More people watch the Women’s European Championship on television than the Men’s Club World Cup.

We're always accused of saying that no one watches women's football - but that's not true. And I find it exciting: Even if people do watch it, it doesn't change the way we're portrayed. League games aren't shown on public television, and television money isn't increasing. Then people still say that women's football is worse than men's football, and that's why no one is interested. But we don't make that comparison in any other sport. No one would ever say that Angelique Kerber's Wimbledon victory is worthless because she lost to Roger Federer. No other sport requires women to beat men. After all, we're only competing with women.

Is the football field intimidating for girls and women?

Yes, of course, for both players and coaches. I was spat on for the first time when I was eight, by a boy who was actually on my team. He simply didn't want me there. As a girl in football, you need an incredibly thick skin. And we ourselves pose no threat. No women's team has ever said: "The pitch belongs to us now." We just want to be allowed to exist alongside each other. As a woman, you have to overcome so much adversity to even make it to the professional level.

What are these resistances?

There are, of course, many different reasons. There could be family resistance or cultural reasons. My mother didn't like the fact that I wanted to play football. Maybe there isn't even a girls' team near you. Then you have to play on a boys' team and first fight against all the prejudices. From childhood, you hear: "Look, there's a girl playing here, today we're going to score 100 goals!" or: "Just kick them over!" or "You can't lose to a girl." Unlike men, you don't earn any money in the youth ranks or at teams below the Bundesliga. That means you have to go to school at the same time and possibly start an apprenticeship at 16. Football is an additional, unpaid burden that you constantly carry around with you and have to manage somehow. And as a coach, it all starts again. You're the only woman in the room and represent all the women. If you say something wrong, it's because women don't know anything about football. You have so much pressure all the time to prove and legitimize that you're good, even though you're a woman.

So what needs to happen?

A lot of different players are involved. When it comes to sports fields, only cities and municipalities can be held responsible. As an overarching association, the DFB could primarily ensure regulations. It could create special incentives for clubs that have girls' teams. In professional leagues, it could be a licensing requirement that every club must run a women's and girls' section. Furthermore, financial incentives would have to be created: Those who run a successful women's section could receive grants to refurbish pitches or renovate the clubhouse. It simply has to be more worthwhile to promote women's football in clubs.