BERLIN, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- German football legend Rudi Voller has demanded joint efforts of German football to return to success.
"We need more passion and team spirit when it comes to the national team," the 62-year-old 1990 world champion stated when presented as the German association's new director for the national team.
In Qatar, the German team failed to show "these last but inevitable percentages you need to win; I missed this last spark," he said.
"It is inevitable to gain fans' trust back and play successful football. That's a challenge that requires to include all clubs," the 90 times capped player added.
The former Leverkusen CEO said the poor on-pitch performance and general impression the German team has shown at the 2022 FIFA World Cup must be a trigger point to achieve a turnaround.
"We have seen teams such as Argentina, Croatia and Morocco that are not better equipped than us. But they showed passion and spirit," Voller stated and mentioned football purposes should be seen as primary tasks.
"I am sure we will play a satisfying Euro in 2024 to be hosted in Germany and a good World Cup in 2026, but I am concerned regarding the years after," the 1993 Champions League winner said.
Talent development is a basic need of sports, he added. "I have the impression we forgot about that."
The popular former professional spoke about "winning back the people's appreciation" and turning heads to a "more down-to-earth policy."
Voller said his job in the first place is containing a close collaboration with national coach Hansi Flick: "We will meet this week in person after many talks on the phone."
The home tournament doesn't leave much time, the official said. "We only play friendlies until the tournament's kick-off, which is a challenge," he added.
"We have good footballers, many of top class. I am sure we will play well in 2024, but we need to kick the can down the road." ■
