We are football. It has gone this far already in Rotenburg on the Wuemme. The little town of 23,000 inhabitants will house the footballers from Trinidad & Tobago during the opening round of the World Cup. And since that was determined, peculiar things are afoot in the north German province between Hamburg and Bremen.
We are football. So it says on mugs, stickers and billboards. You can pay with T&T dollars at the info-office. Whoever wears a T&T jersey pays no entry fee at the Waterpark Ronolulu. And whoever drives up in the Caribbean island's World Cup jersey at Bernd Rohlfsens gas station gets a car wash 50% off. Chains of flags, banners and streamers hang throughout the town. The police have a lot to do because the flags keep getting stolen at night.
Leo Beenhakker likes it here, too. "I am a happy man here," says the coach of the "Soca Warriors" grinning. The 64 year old Dutchman inspected his team's World Cup quarters this past week. "A terrific place," he says, "so neat and small, and everyone is so nice here." More than 60 employees at the five star hotel, Landhaus Wachtelhof, will attend to Beenhakker and his team. They will live in its 38 rooms, sweat in the "Wellnessbereich" and eat at the in house Nobelrestaurant L'Auberge. Light injuries can be cared for at the hospital just a couple of blocks away.
Beenhakker also commented that Rotenbug has picked up some Caribbean flair, "It's really splendid, what is getting set up here," he confirms. He emphasizes, however, that his players are here to train. And that the practices will generally be held closed to the general public. The previously planned football and volleyball tournaments in the marketplace will not take place then. "My guys need to be playing football. They won't have time for anything else." The city's organizers react disenchantedly. "Too bad," says Reinhard Lüdemann, the city's sports official, "nevertheless we will give them an official welcome ceremony, at least that's something."
Beenhakker took over leadership of the Caribbean team in August last year. "My guys can all play football," he says, "but they need to play as a unit. I needed to bring coordination and discipline into the sqaud." He trusts his team will surprise in the difficult Group B with England, Sweden, and Paraguay. "My players are professionals with lots of ambition," he says. For him it is totally possible to reach the group of 16. To beat England would be a dream, for "England is a historical adversary of ours."
Beenhakker is a globe trotter when it comes to football. He has coached Ajax Amsterdam and the Dutch national team as well as Real Madrid, Grashopper Zürich, and America in Mexico City. After all that why did he take over in Trinidad & Tobago?
"Everywhere you go it's just about football. It doesn't matter if you are coach of Holland, Italy or Trinidad." That is his credo. He shares wisdom that somehow reminds of Sepp Herberger, "Football is really simple," he says, "As long as your own team is in possession of the ball, nothing can happen."
His team's last friendly match will take place on June 3 in Prague against the Czechs. After that he will arrive in Rotenburg with his players. By then the whole marketplace will be covered in sand. There will be palm trees standing on it and a swimming pool. At the welcoming fete along with fireworks will be Bratwurst and Carib. And surely a lot of "We are football" stickers will be distributed as well.