Oberdorf is missing the DFB-Elf: EM hope burst after injury shock!

Oberdorf is missing the DFB-Elf: EM hope burst after injury shock!

national coach Christian Wück announced today that the injured soccer player Lena Oberdorf will not be nominated for the European Football Championship in Switzerland. This decision was made after Oberdorf, the midfielder of FC Bayern Munich, contracted a cruciate ligament tear about a year ago and has not played a game since then. Wück emphasized that the European Championship was coming too early in July and that Oberdorf takes time to recover completely.

Oberdorf, who was the youngest German World Cup player at the age of only 19, has played a total of 51 international matches for Germany. Her cruciate ligament rupture occurred on July 16, 2022 during the European Championship qualification against Austria. Wück and the DFB already had in the run-up to the Nation League games against Austria and the Netherlands, which Germany won 6: 0 and 4: 0 each, concerns about a possible European Championship participation. Oberdorf was in the squad in these games, but was only in the stands.

the EM preparation and the team spirit

The internationals meet on June 19 for the European Championship preparation in Herzogenaurach. The DFB will present the 23-member EM squad on June 12th. The training camp will end on June 30th before the Nuremberg team travels to Zurich. In the group phase, the German team meets Poland, Denmark and Sweden.

The decision to do without Oberdorf was made after intensive evaluations of the training impressions. "It's about the team and not just Oberdorf," said Wück. Elisa Sense has now established herself as Oberdorf's representative in a defensive midfield, which the team will strengthen in this difficult phase.

background to injuries to female athletes

The injury of Oberdorf also throws a light on the wider topic of injuries of female athletes in sports. Studies show that women have a three to six higher risk of cruciate ligament injuries, especially with “non-contact”. Anatomical and functional differences, such as lower trunk stability and hormonal influences, can play a role. In addition, research on injury prevention in women has not yet developed sufficiently compared to men, which illustrates the need for special training and rehabilitation programs.

Public interest in women's football in Germany has increased through the success of the national team. The DFB has therefore introduced programs for injury prophylaxis to promote the health and performance of female athletes. Despite these measures, the frequency of injury in the game remains 6-7 times higher than in training, which requires further efforts in prevention.

The football European Championship takes place in Switzerland from July 2 to 27, and until this time the team will do everything they can to be well prepared and competitive, even if Lena Oberdorf cannot be there.