The German Football Federation (DFB) found itself in an unusual situation, where it accidentally named Latvia-born Dario Sits while announcing the squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary. In a recently released roster by the German club, the list had names like Kai Havertz from Arsenal, Jamal Musiala from Bayern Munich, but what caught the attention is Dario Sits, a 20-year-old forward from Latvia.
Sits recently made his debut for his country and is now on loan at Parma from the small Dutch second-division team Helmond Sport. He played with Latvia’s U21 team against the Germans in 2022, and that was the closest he ever got to playing for the German national team.
However, when realizing the error, the football body quickly removed his name, and claimed it was a “technical error in the database.” In recent German team’s history, Dario Sits’ incorrect call-up will be remembered as a hilarious anecdote that shows that even the most well-organized federations may occasionally have small data-management errors.
Few surprises in the German squad for UEFA Nations League
There are quite a few surprises in the roster for next week’s games against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary. Germany is now concentrating on winning its group since it has already earned a spot in the Nations League semi-final for the next year. Among the highlights are Havertz and Musiala, who have recovered in time from their respective injuries. Marc-André ter Stegen, who is still out, will be replaced by Stefan Ortega, the custodian for Manchester City.
Manuel Neuer is also not playing. Other goalkeepers like Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nübel have been given an opportunities as a result. Moreover, Felix Nmecha and Julian Brandt of Borussia Dortmund have also been called up for the first time this season.
The German squad is quite confident about its spot in the quarter-finals of the Nations League, which will be held in March. The final draw will be played at the end of this month. Nagelsmann, however, wants to finish this phase of the competition on a positive note, even though his team cannot be caught in their group.