The 1974 World Cup-winning player, Uli Hoeness, has proclaimed that Germany was the "biggest loser" of the Qatar edition of the tournament, not just on the pitch but off it as well.
Germany's hopes of advancing in the first Arab World Cup were dashed in December, an event they had hoped to promote greater freedoms in the region.
Captain Manuel Neuer was among several intrepid European skippers who sought to flaunt a vibrant multi-colored rainbow armband to champion diversity in a country where homosexuality is prohibited.
The world governing body FIFA threatened severe sanctions if players defied their orders, causing German Interior and Sports Minister Nancy Faeser to show her support symbolically by donning the armband in the stands instead.
"Germany has never projected such a bad image as it did in this World Cup," Bayern Munich's honorary president told Sport1 on Sunday, adding that Faeser's actions were "laughable."
The 71-year-old expressed outrage at the ceaselessly adverse reporting from German media surrounding the Qatar World Cup, particularly about the hosting country's domestic policies, which he deemed overly extreme.
"We Germans believe we can change the world alone; that's the problem. But, unfortunately, it's not possible," he said, adding that the high standard of play in Qatar was ignored mainly by Germans.
Qatar Airways sponsors Hoeness' Bayern and the honorary president has criticized club fans who want the deal to end.
