Germany forced to remove player from Nations League squad after realising he’s not German
Germany are already assured of a place in the Nations League quarter-finals
The German FA is in a spot of bother after erroneously naming Latvian player Dario Sits in their squad list ahead of the Nations League fixtures.
Germany is set to host Bosnia and Herzegovina before jetting off to Hungary, but before the action gets underway, the DFB has been forced to release a sheepish correction regarding the team lineup. In an unexpected turn of events that confused fans and officials alike, Julian Nagelsmann seemed to have included Dutch second-tier sensation Dario Sits in his squad.
The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Helmond Sport from Serie A side Parma. Even more curious is the fact that Sits is actually from Latvia and played against Germany in an Under-21s game two years ago.
His name was quickly removed from the squad list after the DFB realised the error. According to the Associated Press, the federation have blamed “a technical error in the database” as the reason for Sits’ shock call-up.
Sits has already earned two caps for Latvia and would be ineligible to play for Germany. Arsenal forward Kai Havertz and Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala also return after missing Germany’s last games with injuries.
Germany are already assured of a place in the Nations League quarter-finals, which take place in March. But while his side cannot be caught in their group, Nagelsmann is looking to end this stage of the competition on a high.
He said: “After reaching the quarter-finals early, we want to complete the group victory in the Nations League – if possible in front of our fans at the home game in Freiburg.
“Reaching the Final Four for the first time is an important interim goal for us next year on the way to the 2026 World Cup. We have a strong squad together, even if we have to restructure some positions due to injuries.
“Waldemar Anton should also get fully fit again at the club first, Leroy Sané needs more match practice and rhythm after his break. Felix Nmecha has stabilized at BVB and, like Julian Brandt, is back after recent good performances.”
