FIH Men’s Junior World Cup: German players’ travelling families make their presence felt, shared dinners to temple visits to vocal support

The family of Titus Wex, the scorer of the second goal against India, had a family get-together in Chennai with his brother who is studying in New Zealand also coming down.

(From left): Titux Wex’s parents, Geseke and Carsten, will brother Emil on the left. Ferdinand Steinebach's father Martin on the right; The German contingent have been loud in their support for squad from the stands. (Express Photos / Vinayakk M)

It was natural for India to expect the fans to be their proverbial 12th man at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai at the FIH Junior World Cup, especially for the big semifinal against serial winners Germany. But on Sunday night, with every passing minute that asserted the European side’s supremacy over India in a 5-1 win, the travelling group of Germans — comprising mothers, fathers, and siblings mostly – made their presence felt.

The majority of the touring group arrived in Chennai in time for the quarterfinals and will now get to witness their young stars play for Germany in the final on Wednesday.

The atmosphere before the match was of course set by the many hundreds of Indian fans but Germany’s dominance on the night meant the locals became increasingly silent and had only a few moments to cheer.

The German touring contingent in the stands in Chennai. Hockey India

Ferdinand Steinebach’s father Martin, who travelled from Cologne, said his son’s side needed to score early and quieten the home crowd a little bit. “We were all happy the way it worked out. It was a huge crowd, sympathizing with the Indian team, of course. So we were happy that they could quieten the crowd just by scoring early,” he quipped. “But I am really overwhelmed by how well it’s organized, about the enthusiasm of all the Indians and hopefully they will all cheer in the final for the German team.”

Martin – visiting India for the first time – said there are about 50 of them in total from different parts of Germany. He started planning in August only after the team roster was announced, when he was certain that his son would be playing for Germany at the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup. While the travel planning was mostly done individually, Martin said the families do know each other quite well, so there was some coordination.

“All the players are from different areas in Germany. Some are from Hamburg, some from Cologne, or others are from Munich, from Berlin. Some of the families know each other for years, and they stick together and plan it. But ultimately the trips, we did it pretty much individually.” Martin explained. “We have been doing some sightseeing, went to Fort St. George and a local temple that I can’t quite pronounce the name, then to the Marina Beach. Of course, we had a nice dinner with the other families. The airfare and hotels are quite expensive, but the other costs are manageable. But we are having a good time, enjoying the flavour of India.

Also Read | Born with a hockey stick: Meet Pere Amat, from a legendary Spanish family, carrying Terrassa’s rich tradition at Junior World Cup

Titus Wex’s mother Geseke also echoed Martin’s thoughts that their family, too, has been impressed with how things have been in Chennai. “We are from Hamburg. It’s very exciting to be in Chennai for this tournament, and it’s very well organized. Titus scored the second goal against India and it really felt very good. We are so proud of him. We only had a short time to plan because it’s just before Christmas and everybody has much to do. So it was a really short trip. But if Titus were here, of course, all of us wanted to be here too. Titus’ father, Carsten, and brother Emil are here too.”

Story continues below this ad

The German squad poses in front of their families in the stands after their quarterfinal win. Hockey India

A family get-together also happened in Chennai as Emil studies in New Zealand while the rest are in Hamburg.

“I came here from New Zealand while our parents travelled from Germany. I have been studying there for a couple of years,” Emil says. The family will celebrate Christmas in New Zealand.

“We haven’t seen Titus’ brother in a year, so he came from New Zealand and we came from Hamburg, and we have had a nice get-together in Chennai, thanks to hockey. Now we will all head to New Zealand together for Christmas,” Carsten said

The family arrived in time for the quarterfinals. They have been around town, visited a mall and a trip to the famous beach is planned. “It was pouring the first few days we were here, so we couldn’t go to the beach,” Carsten laughs

Story continues below this ad

The support hasn’t been lost on the players and coaches. “It’s really important for this young team to have their parents, sisters and brothers behind themselves, because the support from families is very important for everybody. It was really nice to see such a turnout for the India vs Germany match, and especially to see such a big group of German parents all the way here in Chennai,” joint-head coach Johannes Schmitz told The Indian Express. His fellow coach, Mirko Stenzel, added, “And on Monday night, we used the day off to invite the parents to the team hotel and we all had a lovely shared dinner. In addition to what Jo (Johannes) said, it has been a wonderful support for all of us, and we had a really good evening together.”

Lukas Kossel, who scored twice against India, told hockey.de after that match: “The feeling is indescribable to be in the final with my team, especially with the German fans here. Scoring two goals in this atmosphere was awesome.”