“Own goal by Merz”. Germany’s defeat in the World Cup has already reached politics

“You inspired us”, read a post by Chancellor Merz on Facebook shortly after Germany’s lackluster performance and early elimination from the FIFA World Cup. What happened is seen as a communication gaffe that will have repercussions.

“Helpless, frustrated, second-rate”: these were the comments on social media after yet another early elimination from the German team of men’s football in a World Cup. In the capital, Berlin, the disillusionment was palpable on Tuesday morning. Eliminated by Paraguay after an apathetic performance, the team lost on penalties.

The reaction from the Federal Chancellery came in the middle of the night in Germany, immediately after the end of the match. “Even if the elimination hurts: What a game! With your dedication and team spirit in this World Cup, you inspired our country. We are proud of you”, can be read in the Chancellor’s publication Friedrich Merz.

Pride, dedication, even enthusiasm? Many were perplexed, questioning whether Merz actually watched the same game as the approximately 16 million Germans who stayed up late to watch the elimination live at around 2am.

The publication generated scathing comments. Even from Moscow, where Kirill Dmitriev, a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wrote in X: “Merz is good at encouraging failure over and over again.”

MEP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann wrote that she didn’t know which was worse: the team’s performance or the chancellor’s reaction.

Chancellor’s office alleges communication failure

The chancellor’s office, in turn, spoke of a “coordination error”, which the office itself described as “unfortunately very irritating”. Several media outlets in the capital reported that even before the game, several versions of a post had been written in response, and then a young social media assistant pressed the wrong button overnight.

Germany’s biggest tabloid, Bild, devoted almost an entire page on Wednesday to the chancellor’s reaction to the football match. The headline read: “Outrage at the Chancellor’s own goal after elimination from the World Cup.”

On Wednesday, deputy government spokesman Sebastian Hille told journalists in Berlin that Merz had indeed watched the game live, adding: “It is clear that the chancellor is disappointed by the elimination of the German team from the World Cup. As are all the millions of football fans in Germany.”

The chancellor then published a second post: “We celebrate victories together. And in defeat, we stand together. That’s what makes us stronger. Anyone who wears the federal eagle on their chest deserves our support, not our ridicule.”

Political analysts often point out how a government in office benefits from the optimistic climate created by the success on the global stage of the sport most loved by Germans.

The debate about poorly managed publications on social media occurs at a time when Chancellor’s popularity is already at its lowest level. At the beginning of June, 87% of respondents in a representative poll by ARD-Deutschlandtrend, conducted by polling institute “infratest-dimap”, were dissatisfied with the government’s performance — a new record.

The reasons for this are complex: the economy has been in crisis for years and Germany faces problems with poor infrastructure. The electorate is skeptical about the effectiveness of announced reforms, for example, to the underfunded social security and health systems.

The poor performance of the German team in the United States fits perfectly into this scenario.

An awkward video call

Before the German team’s first game, Merz made a public video call to the team in the USA, which seemed strange and embarrassing, generating criticism.

“All of Germany is rooting for you! Everyone here is anxious,” said the chancellor, while in reality there was little sign of enthusiasm across the country.

As was clear at the time — and is evident now with the unfortunate publication in X — Merz is probably not a big football fan. However, many argue that there are certainly other things that can be criticized in a chancellor besides not developing a genuine passion for the country’s most popular sport.