Völler chides fellow federation official over stark Germany criticism

Germany national team director Rudi Völler has accused a vice-president of his own football federation (DFB) of going over the top with criticism of the squad.

Germany host Euro 2024 next June but the senior men's team has lurched from one bad result to another over the past five years.

DFB vice-president Ralph-Uwe Schaffert, also president of the North German football federation, told the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung: "I feel a not entirely small number of current players think they can perhaps get by with 85% of the possible commitment on the pitch."

He even scolded captain Ilkay Gündogan from Barcelona and Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich by name.

But the DFB's Völler, who is above coach Julian Nagelsmann in Germany's hierarchy, told Bild on Thursday: "Everyone in the DFB has their job. It's great that everyone is interested in the national team and criticism is perfectly acceptable after the last few games.

"But criticizing our important players in such an exaggerated manner is not acceptable."

The 1990 world champion was also aghast that Schaffert, who has been on the DFB executive committee since March 2022, said that Germany needed different players "who are prepared to roll up their sleeves."

Völler added: "I will be happy to explain it to him over a cup of coffee."