The Team

Franz Beckenbauer monitors the performance of both the team and the coach for a TV network, keeping in touch in the U.S. with “his World Champions,” especially Lothar Matthäus. This increases the pressure on Vogts and stirs unrest within the squad, which increasingly splits into three factions: the veteran World Champions around captain Matthäus, the younger players around Effenberg, and the former East German players, Sammer and Kirsten. Additional conflicts arise from players’ wives, who, much to Vogts’ annoyance, seek closeness with their husbands. With Stefan Raab’s mocking song, the players increasingly lose respect for their coach.