Episode 5: Why do the nations so furiously rage together?

20 years ago, a German revolution.

The most striking aspect of the media campaign against Jürgen Klinsmann’s actions and personality was its intercultural dimension, namely the blatant, seemingly irrepressible, anti-Americanism it revealed.

To start with, there was the commuting between America and Germany. The fact that the Bundestrainer made the return journey between his home in California and his job in Germany on a very regular basis – 42 times in total over two years! – was a red line for many. He insisted that he needed it, that it was those few days with his family (and away from the German media) that enabled him to cope with the demands of his mission. Interestingly, whenever California was mentioned, the press invariably spoke of ‘beaches’, ‘sun’ and ‘palm trees’, prompting Klinsmann to remind them, not without humour, that there were ‘also offices there’.

It very quickly became clear that, when it came to football, anything American could not be taken seriously. The condescension towards US soccer was firmly rooted in the superiority complex that was deployed in this sole area of popular culture outside American dominance. It was only logical that the recruitment of a team of American multi-sport fitness coaches under the leadership of Mark Verstegen should be heavily criticised. What could one possibly learn from these ignoramuses of real football?

More troubling still, Jürgen Klinsmann was accused – using a carefully chosen array of anglicisms – of having become more American than German. Rather than describing him as ‘intelligent’ or ‘thoughtful’, he was called ‘smart’, an adjective borrowed from English that is far more ambiguous and used to emphasise a ‘foreign’ personality trait.

Another term used frequently was the epithet ‘Sonnyboy’, closely associated with the presumed superficiality of Americans, their naïve, almost daft optimism, and their exasperating positive thinking. It was Klinsmann’s smile in front of the media, whatever the performance of his team, that irritated people the most (clearly, German couches are expected to be worried and concerned). BILD first described it as a ‘new-economy’ smile, then bestowed upon him the derisive nickname ‘Grinsi-Klinsi’, derived from the verb ‘grinsen’ (‘to grin’) and subsequently used in every possible variation.

Klinsmann refrained from offering any justification, which, in any case, would have been the object of even more derision. However, in March 2006, at a press conference reserved for the international media, he let slip a personal observation: “I have learnt a great deal from the United States. Notably about how to focus on one’s goals, about the ability to believe in oneself, and about the capacity to take risks.” No need to elaborate on what this implied, conversely, about his German cultural background.

To the German media, he patiently explained the meaning of the term ‘reform’.

Next episode : And the government shall be upon his shoulder.