German Press Review: Love It or Hate It, There's No Escape

No matter how you look at the World Cup, it's always close to the official motto of "A Time to Make Friends," wrote the Karlsruhe-based Badische Neueste Nachrichten. "Germany wants to present itself as an open, good-natured, dynamic country," the paper said. "If it manages that, the benefits would be immeasurable."

That view is shared by the Heilbronner Stimme which opined that Germany would be a winner -- irrespective of how it performed on the pitch -- if the official World Cup motto translated into a tangible feeling for the fans. "People expect perfect organization from the Germans, but not warmth and joie de vivre. The World Cup offers the chance for an image makeover in a very simple way," the paper wrote. "The nicest praise would be the conclusion: Germany is different."

The Dresden-based Sächsische Zeitung wrote that the world has noticed that Germany is making an effort and is showing off its best side. "The London Times writes that Germany is ready for a new image, the Dutch are writing friendly things about us and the Danes are discovering new success stories about the 'World champs in organization,'" the paper wrote. "Of course clichés still persist. But it shows that Germany can and will change its image through the mammoth soccer event, despite the recent xenophobic attacks," the daily said.

Some newspapers also took a jibe at the commercial hoopla and hype that has consumed the event.

"If all that's been written and said in the past months is true, then a real multifunctional World Cup is heading towards this country," the Münchner Merkur wrote. It added that the biggest soccer event of the world was meant to kick-start the economy, create jobs, lift sagging spirits and present the image of a modern, friendly Germany abroad. "That's quite a lot for a single tournament and we haven't even begun to talk about soccer as yet," the paper wrote. It all adds up to a sated feeling, almost one of reluctance for the ordinary citizen, it said. "You might say that all this is now a part of modern sport, you can't change it. The opening game should put things in perspective."

"It would be wonderful if modernizer Klinsmann is successful and his team cuts a brave figure. That could revive Germans' belief in their own abilities," the southern German Augsburger Allgemeine wrote. The paper however reminded that the euphoria of Germany winning the last World Cup, in 1990 -- the year that German reunification took place -- didn't last long. "The World Cup doesn't solve our problems."

Berlin-based daily Der Tagesspiegel commented that there were several people who are completely annoyed by the whole hype surrounding the event and don't care about it all. "A game! Isn't there anything more important than that?" the paper asked rhetorically. "But there is some comfort for those who can't stand the World Cup -- it's over in 33 days," the daily wrote. "But everyone -- even those who hate it -- will have something special at the end of the tournament: the memory of a World Cup in your own country."