[poorvi]

I want to know whom the Germans and German fans consider as their biggest rivals on the football field.

I know that the Dutch and the English consider the DFB elf as their biggest rivals. But when it comes to achievements and winning competitions, these two teams are not even closely competitive.
Maybe Brazil or Italy?

[ForeverRed]

Originally Posted by poorvi

I want to know whom the Germans and German fans consider as their biggest rivals on the football field.

I know that the Dutch and the English consider the DFB elf as their biggest rivals. But when it comes to achievements and winning competitions, these two teams are not even closely competitive.
Maybe Brazil or Italy?

Personally I'll always have it out for Brazil...no matter what.

England and Holland have to be the biggest rivals though to the majority of fans.

I really have nothing against Italy.

[poorvi]

Originally Posted by ForeverRed

Personally I'll always have it out for Brazil...no matter what.

England and Holland have to be the biggest rivals though to the majority of fans.

I really have nothing against Italy.

I know what you are saying. The rivalry with England and Holland is a historic more than a football rivalry. And from what I see, it is much more important for them than the Germany fans.

So, I think a rivalry must be more on sporting terms than on historic ones. A healthy rivalry would be Italy or Brazil, maybe Argentina as these teams are the sucessful ones. Brazil it must be, but Germany has played Brazil just once in a world cup. That can hardly constitute a rivalry. Maybe Argentina whom they have played twice in the finals.

What I do not understand is how people (read Dutch Master) can take up events that happened 60 years ago,relate it to football and hate a national team over it. Especially when majority of the fans are born decades after the troubled years.
From what I understand the Dutch were under German occupation for 4 years. India was ruled by the British for over 200 years, and India had many more casualties during her occupation than the Dutch had under German occupation. We were both( India and Holland) freed around the same time. But today when India plays England in a cricket game, there is no animosity between the two sets of fans. The English fans are quite welcome here, and there is almost no crowd trouble with them. When Germany plays Russia, with whom it has a more prolonged struggle in the war years, also we see no hate.
This Germany Holland rivalry is a really overdone.

[F96]

Half the German population will run around with a Brazil shirt during the WCs.

[poorvi]

Originally Posted by Fräulein96

Half the German population will run around with a Brazil shirt during the WCs.

Thats what happens when you wear white vests as a national jersey

[ohk4]

Here is Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger's take on it

If you're English and reading this, I have awful news for you: the Germans don't hate you. They don't even dislike you. They don't even think it's unusually important to beat your teams at football.

And he goes on to write about how Germans admire English Soccer culture, which I notice a lot as well: the fan culture, the hard play, the lack of diving etc.

then he moves to the Dutch

Then the Dutch stepped into this void. Wim van Hanegem said: 'Every time I played against Germans I had a problem because of the war.'

Johnny Rep hit Schumacher. Ronald Koeman wiped his backside with Olaf Thon's shirt. Frank Rijkaard spat at Rudi Völler. That rankled with the Germans, because it was different from childish Bomber Harris impersonations: it was a display of contempt borne out of a feeling of superiority.

[ohk4]

[SirManchester]

The usual suspects; Holland, Argentina, and Italy of which I really only dislike Argentina. And the Dutch rooting their hate for the football teams out of Germany and the National Team itself on the war 60+ years ago is just silly.

[F96]

Nicht weit von uns im Westen,
Da liegt eine kleines Land,
Dass ich immer wenn ich da war,
Ziemlich ueberzeugend fand.

Ein Land mit alten Windmühlen
Und mit netten kleinen Städten,
Mit Bami, Vla, Frikandeln
Und frittierten Fleischkroketten.

In Edam gibt's den Käse
Und in Amsterdam die Grachten,
Ich stehe auf Frauen in Holzschuhen
Und in blau-weiss-roten Trachten,

Ich komme gern zum Baden
Und ich bleib auch gern zum Zelten,
Ja, sie sind tolle Nachbarn
Und doch trennen uns Welten.

Ich liebe Superskunk,
Und ich liebe Sauce special
Aber eine Sache gibt's
Da bin ich meganational,

Es kam ueber die Jahre
und jetzt sitzt es ziemlich fest
So lang's um Fussball geht
Hasse ich Holland wie die Pest.

Grad bei wichtigen Turnieren
Darf man sich nicht dafuer genieren,
Was kann schlimmeres passieren
Als dass wir gegen sie verlieren.

Beide haben wir unsern Rudi
Wir haben ihren nie bespuckt
Ein guter Deutscher denkt europäisch
Ausser wenn Kicken guckt.

Ich weiss, du bist ein Schlauer,
Du bist nicht so ein Prolet,
Immer locker, selbst wenn's eins-null
für die Niederlande steht.

Wird ich eifrig wegen
Fussball ist ein Jammer, Idiot
Fick dich selbst. Wenn ich Oranje sehe,
seh ich nun mal rot.

[ohk4]

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