National player Nicole Anomie: very quick and with a message

Motivational calls echoed through the stadium in Norwich, England, with both teams preparing for international matches, Canadian football players in red jerseys, Germans in black and white. Kick-Off – Clara Buhl splashes into the opposing half as she won’t. Only this time was the only thing he felt after five or six metres. Everyone around him took a knee on the lawn as a sign against racism. While Buhl suddenly stopped her run and took a knee, captain Lena Magal struggled for restraint, Laura Fregang smiled, Nicole Enomi was just able to suppress a smile. Above all, Anomie was happy that such a scene could even come about because an important gesture had been put in place. And she was happy to see all this on the pitch.

The fact that he is part of the German national team is also relevant to the 22-year-old for a socio-political reason. Her parents come from Ghana and Togo, for Anomie has a very personal meaning, like a knee before a Canadian game. Days after African American George Floyd was killed by a police officer in the United States, she did not celebrate after her goal in the quarter-finals of the Cup against Potsdam in June 2020 – but made a first appearance in the women’s Bundesliga against racism. Against this gesture.

“It’s a very important topic for me because I have to deal with it time and again in everyday life. And my reach as a national player is huge,” Anomie said on Monday. She wants to tell her fellow players how she feels: “I was lucky to not experience racism like others I know from my friends.” But he has already experienced that people sit far away from him or he is looked at in a strange way in trains and buses.

Anyomi shows how dynamic and agile she can be when she takes offense

It is also these experiences that allowed Aniomi to grow into a reflective athlete at a young age. This makes him all the more valuable to the German national team. She came as a substitute in the second half of the Arnold Clark Cup opener against Spain (1-1) and opened the second game against Canada (0-1) on Sunday evening. Anomi benefits from the fact that other established players are missing in this preliminary tournament for the European Championship in England (6 July to 31 July), which is very important for the German women’s selection. Injured or due to a COVID-19 infection, directors Deznifer Marozson, Melanie Leupolz, Alexandra Pope and Svenja Huth cannot be. A total of 14 players reported to national coach Martina Vos-Tecklenburg.

Against strong opponents such as world footballer Alexia Putelas, Olympic champions Canada with Spain and finally against England in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday (8.30 pm, zdf.de), there are other players who have little playing time Or not at all. Anyomi is one of them – and she should have improved her position already, with her performance she clearly stood out. “She’s a win for us,” said Vos-Tecklenburg after the game against Canada: “She showed in many scenes how much speed she has, how she can hurt an opponent, how well she can make decisions. ” The 54-year-old also adored other young players such as Jan Feldkamp, ​​Jule Brand and Sofia Kleinharne with her appearance: “But for me Nicole Anomi was very noticeable today and I was happy about it.”

The DFB team lacked structure, calmness and accuracy against the Canadians. Nevertheless, like the Spaniards, the Germans were able to maintain a high international standing. This is not enough for a successful European Championship, but it is certainly a realization given the finished, disorganized formation – and after a series of games in which the German national players had not previously been challenged. Anomie showed how dynamic and nimble she can be when it comes to taking offense. Plus, she appeared strong, anything but reserved. He had ideas and it was difficult to stop only his fourth international match thanks to his pace on the flank. His conclusion was: “I can do more, I have more.”

Anyomi was recently battling a knee injury for a long time. Born in Krefeld, she made her Bundesliga debut at the age of 16 for SGS from Essen, where she once went to a sports boarding school. But when she moved to Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, she had to slow down. She was first nominated for DFB selection in October 2020, after which she was out of the question – until now – for several months. “I was out for a year and was surprised by the invitation,” Anomie said on Monday: “but you can see that things can go quickly if you do well.” For them, the European Championship is a big goal – and not just for sporting reasons.