woman at the pipe
If the
German national team lost to Costa Rica tonight
and were eliminated from the World Cup, it would be a slap of historic proportions.
It would be even more embarrassing than losing to South Korea four years ago at the World Cup in Russia.
But let's start this day optimistically and don't assume the worst.
In any case, it is historic that the 38-year-old
Frenchwoman Stéphanie Frappart
will officiate the game - as the first female referee in the history of the football World Cup (men).
After all.
However, Frappart is one of three referees nominated for this World Cup in Qatar.
And to this day none of them have been used - although there have already been 40 games.
Although German football, which is very male-dominated, is not much more progressive when it comes to promoting women.
It was decades before Bibiana Steinhaus became the first woman to whistle in the Bundesliga.
And when Steinhaus stopped, there were no female successors.
And as German television viewers blasphemed when a woman commented on a men's game for the first time, we better not repeat it here either.
The first use of a referee is correct.
Nevertheless, he doesn't make this World Cup any better with all its political and social monstrosities.
As long as people in Qatar are dragged from the stands by police officers if they dare to wear a rainbow armband, as long as football is so brazenly misused as a dictatorship's PR and marketing tool, I can't think of a more forgiving attitude take in.
The use of 40 referees would not change that.
Referees at the World Cup: Revolution with a whistle
You can find more news and background information about the World Cup here:
Poland despite defeat by Argentina in the round of 16: The hand of Szczęsny.
Goalkeeper Szczesny ensured a controversial penalty with a hand wipe through Messi's face - which he then parried.
Poland saved itself over time, for a long time it looked as if the yellow cards would decide.
Australia in the round of 16: Leckie mio:
He was once sorted out at Hertha – now Mathew Leckie surprisingly shoots the “Socceroos” into the knockout round.
And the highly traded Danes as the group last from the tournament.
How climate change makes the World Cup players sweat:
More than 30 degrees Celsius in winter – such temperatures are not typical even for Doha.
Experts from an NGO have analyzed how global warming is affecting the region.
The dictator's failure
EU Council President
Charles Michel
wants to meet
China's head of state and party leader
Xi Jinping in Beijing today.
Michel is the first foreign top politician to meet the dictator after the wave of protests against his tough and failed Covid strategy.
Many representatives of German business, it must be said so clearly, have looked at China for years with a mixture of fascination and envy.
If you want to build something there, it will be done in a few weeks, they said admiringly.
In Germany, on the other hand?
Requests!
citizen participation!
The party dispute!
There was an undisguised admiration for the efficiency of the dictatorship.
With simultaneous contempt for the oh so slow German-style democracy.
A view of the world thus developed that fed the impression that autocracies were the superior systems.
The
corona pandemic has now revealed the weakness of dictatorships
- "like under a magnifying glass," as it was so bluntly said in connection with Corona.
There was apparently no one who dared to tell the autocrat Xi that he was on the wrong track.
This created the situation in which millions of Chinese have neither recovered nor been adequately vaccinated.
And the country continues to be defenseless against the virus.
And the anger of the population at being locked away is no longer completely controllable.
Incidentally, hardly anyone is more disappointed by the Chinese leadership than its former secret fans: business representatives.
Because all of a sudden, trading isn't going as usual.
And the supply chains show blatant cracks.
Hopefully this is also the end of the naïve admiration for autocrats.
Protests against corona measures: "China went all-in with a losing strategy"
The legacy of the Hörbigers
There is a tendency to glorify things a little in retrospect.
At least that's how it is for me.
And that's why I still consistently answer the question about my favorite series with:
»The legacy of the Guldenburgs«
.
Netflix here, The Crown here.
For example, I was fascinated by the villains of this ZDF early evening series: the cunning Achim Lauritzen and his wife Evelyn (Wilfried Baasner and Iris Berben).
I was a bit in love with Nanne, the youngest daughter of the noble family, played by Katharina Böhm.
But the most worthy character was Christine von Guldenburg, played by Christiane Hörbiger.
Hörbiger was a wonderful actress.
Her role as a countess in "The Legacy of the Guldenburgs" certainly did not reveal her entire repertoire, she could do far more.
But I will always remember them as such.
Christiane Hörbiger died yesterday at the age of 84.
On the death of Christiane Hörbiger: Countess, lucky donor, great comedian
News and background information on
Russia's war against Ukraine
can be found here:
Recent developments:
Kiev thanks Germany for recognizing the Holodomor as a genocide.
Russia has put a military satellite into orbit.
And: excitement in the Vatican.
The overview.
The next Russian air raid is apparently imminent:
Current satellite images show an unusual amount of movement at an important Russian military airport.
Experts see Engels-2 on increased alert - and warn of a new heavy air attack on Ukraine.
Lambrecht demands help from Lindner to buy ammunition:
Because of the lack of ammunition in the Bundeswehr, Defense Minister Lambrecht is also criticized within the coalition.
According to SPIEGEL information, she is urging the finance minister to provide more money quickly.
EU Commission wants to force Russia to pay reparations to Ukraine:
300 billion euros in reserves of the Russian central bank are currently blocked by sanctions.
After the end of the war, the EU wants to use the funds to rebuild Ukraine.
Kyiv doesn't go far enough.
The hotline to which Russian soldiers are supposed to report:
Anyone who wants to stay alive should surrender: The Ukrainian government opens this bill – and promises Russian military personnel help to safely surrender.
Via phone.
Here's the current quiz of the day
The starting question today: How many companies belong to the Dax?
Winner of the day...
... are
all people in Germany who volunteer for others
, be it with their money, be it with their ideas, their time, their energy.
The German Engagement Prize will be awarded tonight in the Deutsches Theater, with Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus doing the honors.
With the award, the Alliance for Non-Profit wants to help voluntary commitment in Germany to gain more recognition.
It definitely deserves it.
The latest news from the night
“These decisions will divide the West”:
Today Emmanuel Macron is meeting with Joe Biden for a discussion: The French President sharply criticized the host’s subsidy policy beforehand: “I only ask to be respected as a good friend.”
US Treasury Department submits Donald Trump's tax return to special committee:
The former President had sued the US Supreme Court against the release of his tax documents - and lost.
At least one congressional committee is now gaining insight into the potentially sensitive papers.
»We failed completely«:
Sam Bankman-Fried has spoken out for the first time since the spectacular collapse of his company empire.
The ex-boss of the crypto exchange FTX said he was ashamed – but had never tried to cheat anyone.
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
War isn't just what the Germans think it is:
the debate over arms sales to Ukraine and possible negotiations with Russia suffers from a skewed view of history: the Germans have forgotten what occupation means.
This is how you get the December aid:
Because of the high energy prices, gas and district heating customers receive immediate aid.
How is it paid out?
And what do you have to do about it now?
Answers to the most important questions.
The Jesuit who became a radical climate activist:
He sticks to the streets, rails against lobbyists and neoliberalism: Jesuit priest Jörg Alt risks a lot to save the planet.
Why is he participating in the "Last Generation" of all things?
Finally trust the parents!
Sick leave by phone remains possible until the end of March - for adults.
Children with fever still have to be dragged to the doctor's office.
That is an impertinence.
Where Ruangrupa are considered the most powerful artists in the world:
Every year, the London art magazine »ArtReview« publishes a ranking called »Power 100«.
A trigger warning would have been nice this year: the curatorial collective of the Documenta is considered the most important figure in the art world there.
I wish you a happy Thursday
Your Markus Feldenkirchen
