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A German state broadcaster survey has been condemned as “racist” by players and the coach of the country’s national football team.
The ARD poll asked whether there were enough white players in the German nation team, which is gearing up for the European Champions held in the country this month.
German head coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Sunday the survey was “racist,” adding: “I feel we need to wake up.”
Joshua Kimmich, a Germany midfielder, had the previous day denounced the survey as “racist,” and Nagelsmann agreed, saying: “I see this in exactly the same way. This question is insane. There are people in Europe who’ve had to flee because of war, economic factors, environmental disasters, [and] people who simply want to be taken in.”
According to reports, Kimmich had said it was “madness for a public broadcaster to ask such a question” and added “A football team can be a role model of how to unite different cultures, religious backgrounds and skin color. It is good the way it is now. We play a Euro for everyone in the country and whoever plays top football is invited to be a national team member. I hope I never have to read such crap polls again.”
ARD, which unites Germany’s various regional pubcasters, reportedly held the poll was held to provide measurable data after a reporter making a documentary was repeatedly asked about the racial make-up of the national team. The German Euros squad contains numerous key players with mixed heritage.
The poll of 1,304 randomly selected respondents, commissioned by ARD member WDR, found 21% agreed with the proposition that the national team should have more white players.
Karl Valks, Sports Director at WDR, said in a statement reported by Bild: “In interviews during the filming of the documentary Einigkeit und Recht und Vielfalt (Unity and Justice and Diversity), our reporter Philipp Awounou was confronted with the statement that there are too few ‘real’, white Germans on the football pitch. We deliberately did not want to report this anecdotally, but rather based it on solid data. That is why we commissioned the survey with our colleagues from Infratest Dimap.
“We ourselves are dismayed that the results are what they are, but they are also an expression of the social situation in Germany today. Sport plays an important role in our society, and the national team is a strong example of integration.”
We have reached out to ARD for further comment.
The Euros begin on June 14 with Germany playing Scotland at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The country is considered among the favorites for tournament victory, along with the likes of England, France, Portugal and Spain. Over the weekend, German team Borussia Dortmund was defeated 2-0 by Real Madrid in the final of UEFA Champions League at Wembley Stadium in London.
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Jesse Whittock
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