In the documentary titled “Unity, Justice, and Diversity – The National Team Between Racism and Identification,” which focuses on Germany’s national football team, a survey was conducted by the Sport-Inside institute regarding the presence of immigrants in the national squad.
A total of 1,304 people were surveyed between April 2-3, in connection with the composition of the German national team ahead of the upcoming Euro 2024, which the country will host from June 14 to July 14.
Two-thirds of the respondents appeared to support the preliminary selection by Julian Nagelsmann (the Federal coach), who included Undav, Sané, Musiala, Gündoğan, Henrichs, Rüdiger, and Tah in the 27-member squad. These players were born or raised in Germany but come from immigrant families.
Germany’s 27-man #Euro2024 squad is in! 🇩🇪
Thoughts? 👀 pic.twitter.com/p5zB3QcHiN
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) May 16, 2024
However, in the same survey, 21% of respondents emphasized that they would like to see more white players on the national team.
The majority of those who support this view come from the ranks of the AfD.
Another striking detail is that 17% of respondents described it as a disgrace that the captain of the national team is Ilkay Gündoğan, the son of Turkish immigrants.
In the documentary, former internationals Gerald Asamoah and Shkodran Mustafi speak about their experiences during their active careers.
The documentary, which will feature the survey results, is scheduled to air on June 5 on ARD. However, there have already been strong reactions, the most notable coming from international footballer Joshua Kimmich.
“This issue has never been a matter within the team itself. Anyone who grew up in football knows it’s complete nonsense. Football unites people of different skin colors and religions, and that’s the point. I would miss many players if they weren’t here. So, this is absolutely racist,” said the Bayern star, visibly upset, who also criticized the broadcasters for the timing of the documentary.
“Considering we have a European Championship on home soil, it’s absurd to raise such a question when the goal is to unite the entire country and theoretically achieve great things together. As a team, we are doing everything to have everyone in Germany behind us. Such a survey makes absolutely no sense.”
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