Saturday's festival of football in Berlin's
Olympiastadion, featuring the German FA (DFB) women's and
men's cup finals, also incorporated the unveiling of the logo
for the FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011. In part two of a
major DFB interview, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter lays out his
expectations for the first FIFA Women's World Cup on German
soil. Blatter's high hopes for the event are based not only on
the host country's renowned organisational ability, but also on
its inhabitants' tremendous passion for football.
The FIFA President also surveys potential further
developments in women's football, and assesses changes in the
commercial landscape for the 2011 event. He calls on the game to
nurture a positive star culture around the world's best female
players, looks forward to a certain flair at Germany 2011, and
underlines the significance of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
in 2010.
Joseph S. Blatter, the Official Emblem of the FIFA
Women's World Cup Germany 2011 was unveiled in between the
German women's and men's cup finals on Saturday. The
Olympiastadion crowd gave the logo a warm reception, but what do
you think of it?
I find the Emblem enormously pleasing. I'm absolutely
sure Arena Deutschland will provide an impressive stage for
women's football at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011. And I
think it was a fabulous idea to present the visual trademark of the
next Women's World Cup at the venue where the fantastic summer
fairytale of 2006 came to its conclusion with the Final between
France and Italy.
What are you expecting in sporting terms from Germany
2011?
I have great hopes and high expectations for the first
Women's World Cup in Germany, and I'm absolutely convinced
they'll be completely fulfilled. Germany is famous for
competent and thorough organisation, and we all know how passionate
Germans can be about the game.
Is that true of the women's game?
It's especially true of the women's game. Just look
at the way the German women's team was received in Frankfurt
after beating Brazil in the World Cup final in Shanghai. There
wouldn't have been a more passionate reception even if the men
had returned home as world champions. A strong recognition of the
women's game is a distinguishing feature of German football.
The FIFA executive committee saw this as a decisive factor when
awarding the 2011 finals to a nation where women's football is
firmly established. By asking Germany to stage the tournament, you
know it will be done right.
How do you see women's football developing after the
finals?
German women's football has already reached remarkable
dimensions, with more than a million registered female players. The
World Cup in 2011 will be another boost on top of that, but not
only in Germany. This World Cup will have an impact in the whole of
Europe and around the world. The important thing is an organised
league in every country, something which needs to grow organically
around the world. In certain countries, 2011 will be the decisive
spark and women's football will spread around the planet like
fireworks at New Year. As I once said, the future of football is
feminine. An important factor is for matches at the World Cup to be
broadcast around the globe, so we need support from the TV
companies. That's why our TV contracts for 2011 are components
of the overall TV packages for the 2014 men's World Cup in
Brazil. So in this respect, we've charted a course towards
greater worldwide popularity for the women's game.
The status of a sport is partly defined by its major
personalities, with TV by far the most important medium in bringing
them to a wider public. Who do you regard as the role models in
women's football?
Take Steffi Jones for example, selected by the DFB to be the
OC President for the World Cup 2011. I know she's no longer
playing, and I don't know if the current stars of the German
women's team such as Birgit Prinz will still be going in 2011.
But I'm sure there'll be new players coming through who
will become idols for younger players, in Germany, in the USA, in
Scandinavia and elsewhere. There's obviously Brazil too, where
Marta and Christiane are role models for many girls. Up to now,
women's football hasn't really revolved around its stars,
but the women's game does need more of a positive star culture
as the most effective way to boost its status. The media, but also
the women themselves, have a part to play here.
Five years after the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the DFB returns
as organiser and host nation in 2011...
Although with an eye on the further development of the
women's game, FIFA has acted in favour of the next and all
subsequent host nations. Up until the last FIFA Women's World
Cup, FIFA partnered with 15 sponsors, holding exclusive rights
effectively covering the entire product spectrum. Now and in the
future, we have only six official partners, which means it will be
much easier for the DFB and future host associations to acquire
their own sponsors. Commercial giants, the majority of whom have
focused on men's football, will now invest more in the
women's game.
What will the atmosphere be like in 2011?
It should be even more of a fairytale, because women will
have the starring roles. The stadiums available to the German OC
will provide a wonderful ambience. The Germans might want to talk
to the Canadians, who sold 1.1 million tickets for the junior World
Cup even before the tournament started. Experience says that many
ticket purchasers will also be members of the association. I'm
sure the DFB will come up with good ideas for getting tickets into
the public's hands. Then it's up to the players to make the
World Cup attractive and whip up a great atmosphere by playing the
way they do best, with a combination of elegance, subtlety and
creativity - and not as much tackling as in the men's game.
Do you regard the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2010 in
Germany as a test of the organisation, or more of an
appetiser?
We don't need an organisational dry run in Germany.
There's no need for it there. Appetiser is the right word.
That's why FIFA agreed with the DFB to hold the U-20 World Cup
in Germany a year before, as a way of stoking anticipation for the
World Cup 2011. The U-20 national teams who make the finals will
undoubtedly have the quality to appeal to a broader public.
As President of the DFB Organising Committee, Steffi Jones
is the public face of the World Cup 2011. What are your views on
that?
She's taken the role Franz Beckenbauer had in 2006. I
believe she'll be even more successful in this respect, because
she's younger and prettier (
laughs). I'm not sure Franz will like that, but
that's the way it is.



