“Disappointment has quickly given way to a more optimistic mood”

Mr Stackmann, normally football fans would now be closely following the UEFA EURO 2020. How disappointed are you that the championship won’t be taking place this summer?

It also occurred to me that the championship would normally be taking place at the moment. But I no longer feel disappointed because it has only been postponed, not cancelled entirely – and there was no changing the situation. Like all football fans, we at Volkswagen were greatly looking forward to this championship, which was to be held throughout Europe for the first time. Not only from a sporting point of view, but also because of the atmosphere and everything else connected with this event. We would definitely have had reason to celebrate over the coming weeks; hopefully that will also be the case next year.

And lots of things were planned for this summer: first there were the volunteers for the Volkswagen Mobility Makers at the locations where matches were to be held, who would have welcomed the arriving guests. Then there would have been low-emissions mobility fleets and “mobility shirts” worn by fans as they moved around the stadiums, among other things.

Then the corona pandemic came along and scuppered all plans in one fell swoop. The UEFA swiftly postponed the European Football Championship until the year after. Was this the right decision in your eyes?

There was no alternative. We supported this decision from the start. Although football is important to many of us, in the past weeks there have been more pressing issues. First of all, it was imperative that our society get the pandemic under control. Today we are able to say that, luckily, we have achieved this thanks to people’s good sense and the commitment of countless helpers. This was the reason behind the “hero squad” campaign which we launched together with the German Football Association. We want to thank the individuals who have gone above and beyond during the corona pandemic. Now we can only hope that the positive trend continues and that daily life returns to normal bit by bit – also where football is concerned.

After the game is before the game, as footballers say. In the context of Volkswagen this means: after the EM 2020 cancellation is before the EM 2021. What plans exist at this point in time?

When the championship for this summer was cancelled, our colleagues in the company involved in the topic of football were first of all dismayed. I entirely understand: many of them have been enthusiastically preparing for this championship for two years. But disappointment has quickly given way to a more optimistic mood. True to the motto: then we will just have to use the European Football Championship next year for Volkswagen purposes instead. The topic remains the same: to raise fans’ awareness of electric mobility and the new ID. Family models. In the meantime, I am able to see the positive side to the postponement of the championship because next year we will be a step further in terms of electric mobility and more electric models will be available, for example. In this respect, the longer period of preparation is perhaps not such a bad thing.