Review of Tor! The Story Of German Football by Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger (Note: For those who have not read the book, avoid the review below.)
It all began in the summer of 2006. Since then, the events of that summer have been termed as Sommermärchen in Germany, or ‘Summer Fairy tale’ in German. It was due to how the host nation did during the World Cup which was held in their own backyard which went beyond expectations in front of a sceptical public who initially did not believed in their national team’s chances.
While my ‘love affair’ with the German national team never lasted long considering it actually began during the tournament especially after the semi-final defeat to eventual champions Italy, even as someone who was being brought up with English football and the Premier League as the main football staple here in my country, German football had already opened its doors to me since that tournament. Or sort of. Even as much as I always try to be open-minded, I had already heard of the so-called ‘German virtues’ in football. Not only that, studying History back in secondary school where the topics of Germany are on the Nazi era, Germany during WW2 and post-WW2, it is very dangerous to have preconceptions about the country and its people just based on what I used to study back in the classroom. Because this is also the same country rich in culture as well.
After I first came across Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger’s columns from the ESPN Soccernet website like since two years ago, I have always wanted to get hold of his book on football in his own country given I have always felt that it would interesting of how a born and bred German view the sport which was actually initially seen as an ‘English disease’ in his country. Just imagine my luck when I was at a public library two weeks ago wondering what to borrow. Among the row of football books, I initially spotted a book on German football stadiums before Hesse-Lichtenberger’s book stood out. The German football follower in me almost wanted to shriek like a girl, the former History student in me was intrigued especially after looking at the contents. I will explain later regarding the latter.
As the Dortmund-born Hesse-Lichtenberger puts it in his foreword to the updated version of the book where the first edition was released three weeks before the 2002 World Cup, as he said it in his own words, ‘the idea behind writing a book on German football for non-Germans was to set a few records straight and allow people to judge us on facts, not cliches’. How many times especially in the motherland itself in England where German football is often associated with efficiency and one should never write off the Germans when it comes to their national team in major tournaments? The history of German football had showed that it was far from what Germany now stands in the world of football these days. It will be very surprising to the uninitiated that the early days of the German national team was actually often overshadowed by regional bragging rights. Then there were also the times where the national team had to struggle to gain acceptance after the end of the two world wars due to Germany’s involvement in the two world wars.
As one can see, the history of fussball (as it is known in Germany) is actually far from rosy. It was the same thing with its domestic league known as the Bundesliga which actually only came into existence in 1963 after many years of regional leagues being spread out throughout the country. Even the DFB (German Football Federation in English, or the German FA to the rest of us) which has been undermined way more than once throughout the course of German football history. Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger not only writes about his country’s glorious moments in football history (the World Cup and European Championship successes), but he does also shed the light on the unpleasant and forgettable football moments which gripped his country. The unpleasant and forgettable moments which involve the national team which even included the three World Cup titles they had so far, the scandals which hit the domestic game off the pitch in terms of hooliganism, the great Bundesliga scandal of 1971, the Leo Kirch crisis at the turn of this century.
But German football is more than its national team, the Bundesliga as we know it. There are people, events, and the football clubs which shape the course of the history of German football. Since I used to study history myself, naturally the chapters on football under the Nazis and football in the former East Germany become my favourites. But if I have to give an honorary mention, the first chapter after the prologue really caught my attention on how football actually first struggled to gain acceptance in a country which was ruled by the ‘Prussian ideals of discipline and order’ in the 19th century.
Granted the updated version of Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger’s book on the history of football in his country was written up till what happened to the national team in the 2002 World Cup, how Germany rediscovered itself as a nation in the tournament which they hosted four years after Japan and South Korea did was not included. But then if the 2002 World Cup from Germany’s perspective is anything to go by, fussball has certainly come a long way since the days as according to the back cover of Tor! (goal in German), ‘when it was regarded as a dangerous foreign pastime’.
English-speaking followers (myself included) of fussball and those who often have misconceptions of German football in general should read this book. Who knows, it may help you to answer any lingering questions you may have on the German game, and/or help to dispel any myths surrounding it. It did for me on both occasions.
