Little going on in the stadium

Germans puzzle over ghost match atmosphere

The atmosphere in Frankfurt was very modest in the first half.(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Thanks to the test match victories against France and the Netherlands, Germany is finally looking forward to the European Championship. The TV ratings for the 2:1 win against Oranje on Tuesday in Frankfurt were also more than convincing with almost 12 million viewers. Only the sometimes spooky atmosphere in the stadium was the subject of some debate the day after.

"Mystery about the atmosphere in the stadium", headlined bild.de, for example. There was no sign of euphoria. "The 48,390 fans in the stands did not start any chants and could barely be heard by the TV viewers. But you can clearly hear the announcements of the players and coaches," the report states. For TV viewers, the atmosphere is probably more reminiscent of a ghost match during the coronavirus pandemic.

Niclas Füllkrug (left) and Marc Andre ter Stegen(Bild: AFP or licensors)

The surprisingly quiet atmosphere in Frankfurt is particularly surprising, as there is always a lot going on at Eintracht Frankfurt's home games and the Hesse fans are among the most passionate in the league. After all, it got louder in the second half and there were even chants of "Oh, how beautiful it is".

Füllkrug challenges pre-singer
"The people wanted to cheer us on, wanted to give us positive feelings on the pitch. But they couldn't find a common denominator," said the scorer of the 2:1 goal, Niklas Füllkrug, showing understanding for the sluggish atmosphere. The Dortmund goal scorer would like to see "a small group" at international matches, similar to club soccer, "that sets the pace" - in other words, real choristers.