“Join the team” – How the Bundeswehr is hijacking women’s football

"What matters is on the pitch," football expert Alfred "Adi" Preißler said many decades ago. In these times of change, it's hard to know which pitch is meant: sports pitch, shooting range, or urban warfare pitch?

In any case, the Bundeswehr is using the nationwide attention for the Women's European Football Championship to further improve its position in the world rankings of combat capability. Its five current video posts about the ongoing tournament have been viewed millions of times on TikTok alone. The military is also beating its war drums on other platforms like Instagram and YouTube. And with the ARD and ZDF channels, it's even better visible: At the very latest prime time, especially in the context of the matches of the German national team coached by Christian Wück, the campaign's main spot is running on ARD and ZDF, reaching several million viewers there as well. A constant stream for all generations, from social media to public broadcasting.

The goal is to encourage as many young men, and also many young women, as possible to join the military. According to media reports, NATO has called on the German government, as part of the general rearmament effort of the 32 alliance member states, to establish seven new armored brigades by 2030. This is expected to involve around 35,000 soldiers, in combat units rather than in the administration. The Bundeswehr currently has around 182,000 soldiers.

Bundeswehr is looking for “women like you!”

Back to the pitch: In the main video of the campaign, German national player and sports soldier Cora Zicai (VfL Wolfsburg) appears as a prominent ambassador, who is also part of the tournament squad in Switzerland. The 20-year-old striker delivers the following text: "We are among the best in Europe, that's clear." Above all, it becomes clear that this is by no means just about women's football. The German state, German capital, the German military: a leading power, at least in EU Europe. The text continues: "Our technology is flawless, our cohesion truly special." The Germans, then, as a cultural nation, as a national community. "And our defense is also getting better and better." Logically, there is "only one Rudi Völler," and in Germany there is only one Ministry of Defense, not one Ministry of Attack. "But still, something is missing," the competitive athlete concludes her role. One might not even ask what is missing: More power in attack? More goals to achieve the final victory? The place at the top?

Next comes the appearance of professional soldier Laura W. She knows where her combat boots, and presumably her steel helmet, pinch: "Cora, it's obvious our squad is too small," says the young woman. And celebrity soccer player Zicai transforms her cue as she walks onto the pitch with pathetic words: "We need people who rise above themselves, who persevere and believe in themselves." The clip ends, accompanied by the German national anthem, with the slogan: "Women like you!"

This is feminism at its worst. Even if women continue to face structural and personal discrimination in many other aspects of society, everyone should be able to serve equally as cannon fodder for "Father State," regardless of gender or identity. Equality for combat capability is achieved here with a one-two punch: In another video from that campaign , professional soccer player Cora Zicai says she can only shake her head when someone says women have no place in soccer. And the ball is played directly back in the accompanying video : A young female soldier says she cannot understand why "there are people who still think that women have no place in the Bundeswehr." The message is so banal that it is unlikely to reach just any military head: Anyone who supports true equality (and who wouldn't be?) must logically a) promote women in soccer and at the same time b) allow them to join the military. A classic fallacy, of course—if you say A, you almost never automatically have to say B. But this short circuit seems to be the spark that ignites the campaign: Equality would be complete if not only men were sacrificed in war, but finally women as well. Female footballers as pioneers, building bridges to prepare even more women for the barracks, camaraderie, and combat readiness.

The militarization of society is progressing rapidly. And producing some rather outrageous stylistic flourishes: "Join the team" is the motto of the women-catching campaign. The fact that "team" in the military refers to the lowest ranks, and in an emergency, the proverbial cannon fodder, is already a considerable misstep. However, celebrity propaganda places itself even further on the sidelines by sending the more female army onto the field as a "team." Or rather, onto the field of honor: So the army continues to be a men's association, where one is supposed to "stand one's ground" as always? Show courage and bravery for the "fatherland"? Surely that much patriarchy is allowed again, despite all the supposed enlightenment and diversity that are brought into play.

"What matters is what happens on the pitch?" If that's not the case—after the war extension and the Eleven Taurus shootout—then it's a place in the hospital bed. Or, after the final whistle, even a shady spot in the cemetery.