Germans Earn Praise For Successful World Cup

Instead of waking up to the inevitable hangover that follows any month-long spectacle of top-notch soccer, partying and extreme emotions, host Germany was greeted Monday by a shower of compliments for doing a remarkable job.

The overwhelming opinion among international observors and guests: Germans don't just know how to organize to within a hair's breadth of perfection, they can also let their hair down and have a little fun.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is visiting Germany and was at the final match in Berlin on Sunday, heaped praise on the country's ability to put on an excellent tournament.

"One of the best World Cups ever"

"The whole world kept their eye on the ball and Germany. I have to say that from everything I saw and heard, it was one of the best World Cups ever. The friendly spirit really caught on here," Annan told German public broadcaster ARD on Monday.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the World Cup had boosted Germany's image abroad. In an interview with ARD, Steinmeier said plaudits had been flooding in from everywhere. He added that this World Cup had attracted more heads of states and official representatives than any past tournament.

The foreign minister said that although other nations had expected perfect organization from the Germans, the degree of enthusiasm, openness and tolerance during the month-long soccer spectacle was a surprise.

"The world saw a happy German people"

Germany's new-found pride in its country and relaxed relationship with its national symbols -- as was evident from the intense flag-waving and donning of red-gold-black colors during the Cup -- was also a subject of praise.

Pride in displaying Germany's flag or singing its national anthem is a new phenomenon for a country where post-World War Two generations have been highly suspicious of anything that smacks of nationalism.

German novelist and Nobel Prize laureate Günther Grass told the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily that the outburst of German national pride triggered by the strong performance of "the German 11" was genuine and heartfelt.

"Chubby elderly women found a new style of makeup: painting their cheeks with the black-red-gold," Grass said, refering to the colors of the German flag.

"The flag became all manner of clothing," he said. "The unorganized and spontaneous manner of it all was persuasive, I think also for many foreigners who experienced it firsthand."

"A positive and more fair image"

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Germany had changed its image abroad for the better thanks to its spectacularly successful football World Cup.

"The old clichés have been replaced by a new, positive and more fair image of Germany," he wrote in a column in the Bild am Sonntag tabloid.

He commented that while Germans were disappointed at taking only third place, he said they were among the biggest winners of the tournament.

Blair said the 2006 championship had "beat all expectations," particularly in its smooth organization, and added that Britain could take a page from Germany's planning as it prepares for the 2012 Olympics in London.

"The World Cup has once again shown that sport can bring people together. And we must thank this country and its citizens," Blair said.

Merkel: "Germany is the world champion of our hearts."

There's little doubt that the German team's surprisingly good performance -- they reached third place by beating Portugal 3-1 -- was largely responsible for the host country's upbeat mood during the tournament.

German chancellor Angela Merkel was one of the first to bestow the German team and her fellow citizens with praise.

"I congratulated Italy on winning the much-coveted World Cup. It is a wonderful achievement," Merkel wrote in a letter published on Monday in Germany's mass-circulation daily Bild, the morning after Italy prevailed 5-3 over France in the final.

But she was also sure to congratulate the German team. "Jürgen Klinsmann, his team and the players enraptured us with their passion and courage. Germany is the world champion of our hearts."

The French, who had to swallow a bitter loss at the final, also had words of praise for Germany.

"Despite their team's elimination on July 4, the month that has just ended will remain an unforgettable period for the Germans," wrote the French newspaper Le Monde.

"They have never been seen wearing their colors in such a demonstrative manner, and that includes when the country was reunified in 1990. We have never heard them chant the German national anthem with so much spirit," the paper said.