WM 1994 - Elf Helden, ein Albtraum — Season 1, Episode 3: The Scandal
Documentary • 45 min • 1 season, 4 episodes
Episode synopsis
Vogts tries to prevent the team’s disintegration by giving the players more freedom, but control begins to slip from his hands. He loses trust in captain Matthäus and has to constantly put out fires. When Effenberg shows the middle finger to fans during the match against South Korea, Vogts removes him from the squad. The team turns against him, and the media start discussing Beckenbauer as a possible replacement. The Round of 16 match against Belgium becomes a crucial test for Vogts, and Germany wins convincingly. Some already see a semifinal against Italy, but first, Bulgaria awaits.
About WM 1994 - Elf Helden, ein Albtraum
For the 1994 World Cup, Germany entered as the favorite and defending champion, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Internal conflicts, media campaigns, and public criticism of coach Berti Vogts led the so-called "eleven friends" – players like Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, Stefan Effenberg, Bodo Illgner, and Matthias Sammer – to maneuver themselves into a collective nightmare within just a few weeks. This documentary takes a behind-the-scenes look at Germany’s memorable World Cup and shows how one of the strongest German teams of all time spectacularly failed.