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German boss says pressure on England for women’s Euro final

Germany women's manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg said the pressure is all on England for Sunday's Euro 2022 final with an expectant home crowd of 87,000 at Wembley hoping to roar the Lionesses on to victory.

Published: 30 July 2022 18:48 CEST

Germany's Kim Kulig (2ndL) celebrates after her teammate scores

This file photo from September 10th, 2009 shows Germany's Kim Kulig (2ndL) celebrating after her teammate scored during the final of the Women's Euro 2009 Germany vs England. The two teams face one another again in the Euro 2022 final on Sunday, July 31st 2022. Olivier MORIN / AFP

England have never won a major tournament in the women’s game, in stark contrast to Germany’s record of winning eight of the previous 12 women’s European Championships.

But the host nation is reaching fever pitch with senior politicians, royalty, celebrities and famous faces from the men’s game wishing Sarina Wiegman’s women well.

“There is more pressure on England tomorrow than us,” said Voss-Tecklenburg at her pre-match press conference.

“We’ve dreamt of this, a final against England at Wembley. I don’t know if there is a bigger moment for our players. We want to stay present and embrace everything.”

READ ALSO: Scholz to cheer on Germany at Euro 2022 final in London

Germany have historically dominated the rivalry between the nations in the women’s game, losing just two of 27 meetings.

But the Lionesses won the last clash between the two in the Arnold Clark Cup in February.

That was against a much-weakened Germany side due to a coronavirus outbreak and Voss-Tecklenburg will be without a key player for the final in Klara Buhl due to Covid.

The Bayern Munich winger missed Germany’s 2-1 semi-final win over France and has not tested negative in time to rejoin the squad.

The game on Sunday will be shown at several ‘public viewings’ across Germany, including in beer gardens such as BRLO in Berlin.

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What to know about Germany's extra border checks for Euro 2024

Germany is preparing to host Euro 2024 – a football tournament that will see 24 teams compete in 51 games on 22 match days.

It kicks off on June 14th in Munich with hosts Germany taking on Scotland and ends a month later on July 14th.

Security is a huge factor for the event and the government said last year that border checks would be tightened during the competition. Millions of visitors from all over the world are expected in Germany at the stadiums and fan zones across the Bundesrepublik.

What do I need to know about the border checks?

On Friday June 7th, border checks were tightened and temporary controls were brought into force ahead of the event

Federal police will be stepping up checks at all German borders, including temporary controls at Denmark, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg where there were previously no checks.

According to the Interior Ministry, travellers from the Schengen zone may also be checked during air travel, at ports and on trains. The controls will be carried out “flexibly and depending on the situation”, the ministry said.

Travellers should be prepared for possible longer waiting times at borders – and they should carry valid ID and any travel documents they need to enter Germany.

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What are the checks for?

As you would expect, a massive sporting event like the Euros requires tactical planning around keeping people safe.

There will be tight security at stadiums where matches are being played as well as the extra border controls where police want to stop potential offenders from entering in the first place.

Authorities are on high alert for the possibility of terror attacks and general violence.

“Our focus ranges from the threat of Islamist terror to hooligans and cyber attacks,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in a statement.

“The federal police will protect Germany’s borders, airports and rail traffic.”

READ ALSO: The German stadiums hosting Euro 2024 and how to get to them

Existing controls at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland were recently extended by six months until mid-December.

These were first ordered by the Interior Ministry in October 2023 due to a surge in so-called irregular migration, and have been extended several times.

The aim is to combat people smuggling and limit the number of people entering Germany illegally. Border controls at the German-Austrian land border have been in place since autumn 2015.

When do the temporary controls expire?

The temporary controls at all German internal Schengen borders, such as with France, will last until July 19th – a few days after the final match on July 14th at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

Faeser recently said that the security situation was “tense” amid increased terror attacks in Europe.

However, authorities have stressed that there are no indications of any planned attacks in Germany during Euro 2024.

Police unions say that local security forces are well equipped to protect the public during the championship. But there will still be some help from abroad.

During the tournament around 580 police officers from neighbouring countries will be deployed along with German officers, particularly for patrols at the venues and on trains.

According to the ministry, this is part of a special co-operation mission with the security authorities of the participating, neighbouring and possible transit countries. The International Police Cooperation Centre (IPCC) in Neuss (North Rhine-Westphalia) has been coordinating this.

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