Harsh Bayern verdict

Magath: “This has damaged German soccer”

Felix Magath (right) criticized FC Bayern Munich.(Bild: GEPA)

Felix Magath believes his former club Bayern Munich's dominance has come to an end for the time being, but he sees the German national soccer team on the upswing again. Magath expects the DFB team to reach the semi-finals of the European Championship, which begins on June 14, and believes they are capable of winning the title. However, his tip for the European Championship is Portugal. 

Germany's team had been hugely disappointing in November with defeats against Austria (0:2) and Turkey (2:3), but after wins against France (2:0) and the Netherlands (2:1) in March, hopes of a good European Championship were rekindled. The defeat against Austria "was something we had to nibble at for a long time. The last two results have brightened up the situation, but I wouldn't call it euphoria," explained Magath during a talk at the Sports Media Austria conference in Saalbach-Hinterglemm on Friday.

"At least the semi-finals"
"We have a team again that will be competitive. I am convinced that we will play a good role. At least the semi-finals, maybe the European champions are feasible for us," explained the 1980 European champions and two-time runners-up (1982, 1986). However, he does not see Julian Nagelsmann's team as the favorites, not even runners-up France. "My money is on a team like Portugal," said the 70-year-old.

He is less than pleased with the image that his former club Bayern Munich has portrayed with its unsuccessful search for a coach. After several rejections, the record champions only found what they were looking for this week and presented Vincent Kompany as their new coach. "At first it was perhaps a bit of a joke, but later it was no longer a laughing matter. It was something that damaged German soccer. It was no longer nice how it was portrayed in public," said Magath, who led Bayern to the league and cup titles in 2005 and 2006.

Vincent Kompany (2nd from left) takes a seat on the Bayern bench.(Bild: FC Bayern)

He is convinced that things are now on the up again, but he does not currently believe that the Munich team will dominate as they have done in the past ten years. "Bayern will play a better season. The players are much more accountable. They often had the coach as an excuse, but that's no longer the case. Bayern will no longer dominate in the next year or two," said Magath.

Parisian old hands
For the Champions League final on Saturday between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, Magath favors the Spanish champions. The expert watched the semi-final second leg, in which Dortmund eliminated the star ensemble of Paris Saint-Germain, live in the stadium and was really disappointed by the Parisians. "I was very surprised. I saw a game between a professional team and an old boys' team. Some of them hardly moved at all, or only when they held the ball," he criticized.