The opening match against Japan is coming up, but instead of talking about football, all eyes are on a piece of cloth: The scandal surrounding captain Manuel Neuer’s armband is dominating the headlines. How much do the discussions off the pitch affect the players? During the football match Germany loses 1-2 to Japan and finds itself once again with its back to the wall.

• Matthias Bittner

• Hansi Flick
• Béla Réthy
• Joshua Kimmich