Germany superstar Antonio Rudiger caught in furious row with teen FIFA volunteer after group stage exit at FIFA World Cup: Reports
Germany defender Antonio Rudiger was involved in an angry bust-up with a teenage FIFA volunteer after his side exited the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as per the Express.
Die Mannschaft beat Costa Rica 4-2 in their final game in Group E, but Japan's stunning victory over Spain meant that the Germans bowed out of the tournament.
Hansi Flick's side took care of business from their side, but La Roja's defeat resulted in them finishing third in the group due to goal difference.
While heading down the tunnel after the win over Costa Rica, tensions boiled over for Rudiger.
The Real Madrid defender was approached by a teenage FIFA volunteer who supposedly shouted at the German:
"Off home."
Rudiger stopped in his tracks and responded to the volunteer:
"What did you just say? Off home?"
The teenager didn't respond, and Rudiger continued:
"You idiot!"
Everyone thought it would be Spain or Germany to top Group E 🥇
..but then there came Japan 🇯🇵🔥 https://t.co/395mpXETf7
Germany's exit woes were compounded by how the Samurai Blues defeated Spain in the other match.
Ao Tanaka's 51st-minute winner was scored in a contentious fashion as it appeared that the ball had gone out of play in the build-up.
FIFA have since released images that show that the ball had not fully crossed the line, which further compounded Die Mannschaft's misery.
Rudiger was in a low mood when reflecting on Germany's elimination from the FIFA World Cup, saying:
"We're back to zero, and that's the harsh reality."
He added:
"Lots of talent, all well and good. But there is simply more to it. There are other factors as well: the ultimate greed, this filth – we lack that. We are a very, very nice team."
Germany manager Flick unhappy with the manner of his side's exit from the FIFA World Cup
Flick is ruing his side's performance at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, blaming it on individual mistakes and a lack of time to shape his team.
He said on reflection of the exit from the competition (via the Guardian):
“There were a lot of individual mistakes and they make me very angry. The first half made me very upset and I told the team I was upset.”
He added:
“Against Spain we worked very well, we had a compact defence, but you also have to have the automatisms, you have to train different actions and we did not have a lot of time – but it is not down to that.”
#Qatar2022
Hansi Flick on whether he will resign: "We'll work that out quickly, it's difficult to answer now right after the game when we're eliminated. We'll see about that soon”. 🚨🇩🇪 #Qatar2022 https://t.co/WwZ94Y9gmU
Flick has overseen 12 wins, six draws, and two defeats in 20 fixtures since being appointed Germany manager in 2021.
German fans are reeling over their second consecutive exit from a FIFA World Cup, and pressure is growing on Die Mannschaft's boss.