05 January 2025 GMT: 09:02

National coaches give cold shoulder to political boycott of 2018 World Cup

Vicente del Bosque

By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – National team coaches from Europe have played down the likelihood of a boycott of the 2018 World Cup as a penalty for Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. Meeting in St Petersburg for a technical study of the Brazil World Cup, the coaches of UEFA’s 54 member nations are reported to have been lukewarm over the idea of a boycott that has the support of a raft of European diplomats.

Spain’s Vicente del Bosque (pictured), speaking after the forum, told reporters: “The idea of a boycott of the 2018 World Cup in Russia will never garner support from the family of football coaches.”

“We’re trying to unite people, not to separate them. We’re athletes. We’re not going in for politics. We support all those who play football.”

Germany coach Joachim Loew, who guided his team to victory, refused to be drawn on the question of sanctions preferring to concentrate on how his country became world champions.

He emphasised that the whole team, rather than just the coach, was responsible for the accomplishment: “All the cogs must mesh together and every piece of the puzzle has to fit in order to have a complete picture at the end,” he said.

Furthermore, Low attributed a large portion of the triumph to youth coaches, without whose efforts such an achievement would not have been possible.

“Youth coaches create world champions,” he said, pointing out that the work done at grassroots level was a result of the successful new strategy implemented by the German Football Association (DFB) after the downturn in fortunes suffered around the turn of the century.

“A coach also has to choose the right players – ones who can come through a tournament in physical and mental terms,” Löw told his audience, “and who can rise above the difficult moments that happen in any tournament. I am convinced that the character aspect of a squad must be right – players with tolerance to frustration, discipline when they aren’t playing, and respect towards team-mates.”

France were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Germany but coach Didier Deschamps made the point that nine of his squad were under-25. “It was a great experience for them and they’ll take a lot from it and be stronger at the European Championship on home soil in two years,” he said.

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