The early ouster of former World Cup champions Germany has been put at the doorstep of wives and girlfriends of the players.
Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaus has claimed team disputes caused by players’ wives and girlfriends contributed to their shock World Cup exit.
Germany were beaten 4-3 on penalties by Paraguay in the last-32, after being held to a 1-1 draw in Boston.
Matthaus, who captained Germany to World Cup glory in 1990, drew the comparison to his experience four years later in the United States.
The BILD pundit claimed players in 1994 had been distracted by trying to have their families with them throughout the tournament, potentially contributing to their quarter-final loss to Bulgaria.
Matthaus suggested a similar situation had occurred with the current Germany squad, with travel arrangements having become an issue behind the scenes.
‘There were documentaries [made] about this topic in ’94 [and] I don’t think it was that different this time round,’ Matthaus said.
