‘Any team could win’ FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup — German coach

AMMAN –– High-level matches held in Jordan for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will encourage more Jordanian girls to play football, according to Anouschka Bernhard, head coach of the German team. 

“I think one of the reasons why such a tournament is in Jordan, it is not only to play football. When people see high-quality matches like Germany against Canada and see how well girls can play football, I think it can help every girl in Jordan to play football in the future,” she told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.  

Bernhard said audience numbers for the matches had been disappointing, noting that drawing crowds for women’s football is a challenge. 

“It is a little bit disappointing. Two years ago we had more spectators at the stadium. I think it is a general problem in women’s football; it is not only a problem in Jordan. Football is really attractive, everyone here knows Bayern Munich so they know more about men’s football,” she added.  

Holding the European title is motivating for the German U-17 women’s team, the coach said. 

“We know that we can play at a high level, that we can win close games and that we can be champions, so for our self-confidence this is not so bad.” 

Almost every team in the tournament has a chance to win the title, Bernhard said. 

“Every team that qualified for the World Cup has the chance to win... Only good teams are here and you cannot say that we will definitely win the cup.” 

The German team started its journey in the competition beating Venezuela 2-1, while the squad tied with Canada 1-1.

“We are a little bit disappointed about the result but... we are proud of the performance. We played very well, especially in the second half and we controlled the game and created so many chances,” the coach said.