Germany coach Joachim Low admits he was in two minds about Tuesday’s friendly against Holland going ahead following Friday’s terror attacks on Paris.
It had been suggested the match in Hanover would be called off after Germany were caught up in the attacks, with explosions heard outside the Stade de France during their friendly against France.
The German team remained inside the venue until Saturday morning for security reasons and the game against Holland had been in doubt, but on Sunday the national federation (DFB) announced it would go ahead.
“It was a horrible, terrible night,” Low said. “Once we had landed back in Frankfurt, I had the feeling that the game could not take place.
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“But having slept on it for a night, it became clear that the game had to go ahead. It’s going to be a clear message for freedom and democracy. It is about respect and support for our French friends.
“If we manage to turn this game into a signal, then we will already have won, regardless of the result.”
Low had been hoping to use Friday’s game in France and Tuesday’s fixture to experiment with his team in their final get-together of 2015, but he admits from a practical perspective it is now unlikely he will learn much from the clash.
Low said: “You can’t just go back to normal day-to-day life. We want to play a decent game, but the sporting value of this game drops into the background.”
