Germany want no fuss on arrival
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
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Germany team reporter Steffen Potter followed the squad as they arrived at a remote airport and transferred to sleepy Evian-les-Bains, keeping to a succesful formula from 2014.
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Germany like their tournament camps remote.
In Brazil, you had to take a 20-minute ferry ride to reach the team hotel. No other route was possible. This tradition is being continued in France, as Die Mannschaft picked a remote airport in Chambery, situated right in the middle of nowhere, for their arrival.
The airport itself looked more like your local train station and in the hour before the German team landed, no other plane touched down or took off. That's about as remote as it gets.
It fits nicely with the approach the German side have for championships: as little distraction from their big ambitions as possible. Focus on football. So it was no surprise that only a handful of Germany fans found their way to airport, even if these die-hards gave the reigning world champions an enthusiastic welcome.
They were greeted by a resolute and determined Joachim Löw leading his charges down the gangway, accompanied by German Football Association (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel and Löw's technical staff.
Next up were the players, who descended the steps pretty much in order of seniority, captain Bastian Schweinsteiger being followed by Manuel Neuer, Jérôme Boateng, Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels. Within minutes, the 2014 FIFA World Cup winners had entered the bus and departed for their hotel in Evian-les-Bains.
Their route took them northwards through the kind of French hill country you know very well if you are a follower of the Tour de France. Narrow roads, hemmed by typical French houses, until they arrived in the small and sleepy town of Evian, world famous for its mineral water.
Come early evening, though, around 2,000 supporters and media had flocked to the Stade Camille Fournier in Evian to see an open training session in which Löw's players were welcomed by the town's mayor Marc Francina, who said: "We are proud to have the World Cup winners as our guests. I am hoping for a final between France and Germany."
Lukas Podolski joins the group tomorrow after his wife gave birth on Sunday, but there was an uphappy end to the day when central defender Antonio Rüdiger went down in a light training match following a rough challenge and had to limp off. He has now been ruled out of the tournament.
