Sport offers chance to bring people closer despite differences — German coach

AMMAN — Sports gives people the opportunity to come together and keep in touch with other nations despite their differences, according to Thomas Wörle, Bayern Munich women’s technical director.  

In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, Wörle said football is something very easy for anyone to play, because it can be played anywhere and one can make a ball using simple material.

The Bavarian club, whose members began a visit to Jordan late last week to play two friendlies with the national women’s team, visited the Zaatari Refugee Camp on Saturday and played football with 50 Syrian girls aged under 13.

“We don’t know a lot of details about the Syrian issue but we know that Jordan is a friendly country and [it is] receiving refugees,” Wörle added.  

Gina Lewandowski, one of the team’s members, said football is good for refugees to take their minds off what they have been through.

“Football is a universal sport that can be connected with everybody no matter what their language is and either rich or poor people can play it. Football helps refugees interact with other people in different countries,” the 28-year-old defender told The Jordan Times.    

The German women’s club, which conclude their visit to Jordan on Monday, first came to the Kingdom in 2011.

“During these two visits, we learned about the culture and we visited several sites such as Petra, the Dead Sea, the Baptism Site and Jerash,” Wörle said, describing Jordan as “beautiful”.  

The Jordan women’s team has improved during the past three years, the German coach said, observing that the squad’s defence has become well organised. 

“They played quite compact and it was very difficult for us to find gaps to play through… It was a very tough match for us,” he told The Jordan Times.

Bayern beat Jordan 1-0 and 2-0 in the Thursday and Saturday friendly matches.

Wörle said women’s football was not that popular in Jordan during his last visit, but has now gained more fan interest. 

“Football developed and there are many things [that] changed in the structure. I think the JFA [Jordan Football Association] headed by HRH Prince Ali worked hard and did a lot of things for women’s football in the Kingdom.”

Lewandowski noted that women’s football is not as popular as men’s in Germany, but it is gaining a loyal fan base. 

“I think there is more interest than a couple of years ago,” she added.  

Clara Schöne, another Bayern player, said it is normal to see a girl playing football in Germany. 

“My family supported me when I began playing football and support me in everything I want to do,” she said.

Noting that football is the main sport in Germany, Wörle said the women’s Bundesliga (German League) has improved over the past years.

“It consists of 12 teams and it is a good competition. It was not like that 10 years ago, but the German football federation worked hard and coaches got better,” he added.  

Lewandowski noted that women’s football is a little better in Germany compared to other countries and it is also more developed. 

“When you think about women’s football in Europe, you think of Germany. Germany competes in… numerous contests,” she added.  

But Wörle said Bayern have no chance to win this year’s Bundesliga.

“We have a young team and the team has developed over the years. We hope that in the coming few years we can make the gap smaller between us and the other teams… This season, if we can get fourth place it will be great,” he said.  

Bayern have not won any Bundesliga title, but they won the German cup in 2012, according to Wörle.