Joachim Löw Gave Questionable Excuse For Scratching And Sniffing

Germany are set to take on Portugal this evening. And aside from the action on the pitch, fans will be keeping a close eye on what Joachim Löw is up to on the bench.

As well as his tactical nous, the German coach is known for keeping his hands busy during a game.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I mean scratching... erm, certain parts of his body and then sniffing his fingers. Yep.

But why? I hear you ask. Well, according to Löw, he just can't help himself.

During a press conference at Euro 2016, when the manager was asked about it, he said: "I'm sorry for it. When you're full of adrenaline, things happen that you don't perceive."

Twitter

Now, I don't know about you, but I've not heard an excuse that bizarre since Prince Andrew had a little chat with Emily Maitlis.

And experts were also left scratching their heads by his reasoning.

Biochemist Dr Patrick Healy told SBNation at the time: "I have not done any research on this, but I can't see any reason adrenaline would do that.

"It makes no sense at all. The only explanation is that he was fidgety because of it, but that's stretching it."

And it seems his instincts may have got the better of him yet again during this year's tournament.

An eagle-eyed viewer thought they'd spotted him up to his old tricks during Germany's game against France last week.

The camera cut away to Löw just at the exact moment he was putting his hands up to his face and seeming to sniff his fingers.

Have a look for yourself:

Of course, this time the camera didn't capture whether or not Löw had his hands down his kecks before raising his hand to his nose, but it certainly looked like it.

The fans watching at home have their minds made up, that's for sure.

One person wrote: "Oh Dear Joachim Low has had his fingers downs his pants again hasn't he..."

Another said: "Joachim Low having a sniff at his fingers caught on camera again.

"That's the tournament officially started now."

Make of it what you will.

Topics: Coach, Football, Euro 2020, Portugal, Germany, Twitter, Weird

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom