Post Paris terror, Merkel to attend German friendly in show of strength

The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed that the country’s national team will play its Tuesdday friendly against the Netherlands in the northern German city of Hannover on Tuesday.

“The message is clear: we will not allow ourselves to be intimidaed by terrorism”, Joint Acting DFB President Reinhard Raubal said in a statement on the organization’s homepage.

“For the team to play against the Dutch only a few days after the bad experiences in Paris is a necessary signal”, Rauball said in a statement, following a meeting to decide whether the game would go ahead.

Germany’s Bild newspaper reported on Sunday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of her cabinet meant to attend the friendly on Tuesday.

Latest figures from French officials report 128 people were killed and another 99 remain critical after what appeared to be co-ordinated terror acts in the French capital, including three fatalities outside the Stade de France during Germany’s 2-0 worldwide friendly defeat to France.

Bierhoff added: “The entire team – players, coaches and staff – is still severely affected”. Yet all know that it is important to set an example and to work as a team for our values and culture.

Schalke teenager Leroy Sane has also been released so he can play in an Under-21 global.

The result on the pitch will be of secondary importance following the awful events in Paris, however, Netherlands have not beaten Germany since 2002 and the young players likely to feature at the HDI-Arena would do their prospects of further caps no harm by ending that drought.

“It was a tiresome bang which changed everything. And the images we saw will stay with us for a very long time”.

“We lost a game of football on Friday evening”.

Netherlands will have to make do without the services of injured Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and Ajax midfielder Riechedly Bazoer in Hanover.