AfD provokes over multiethnic Germany, Klopp erupts: I don’t comment on such nonsense

After the defeat to Greece, Kay Gottschalk, the number two of the German far right, compares the current squad with that of 1990. The coach replies.

Germany’s defeat to Greece did not pass without consequences. Attention has been drawn to the comments of various politicians of the far-right AfD party regarding the number of Black players on the pitch. And coach Klopp got angry: “Germany is not white enough? Complete absurdity, which I will not comment on.”

It happened on the eve of the last Nations League match, when the German coach was asked for a comment on several social media posts criticising the composition of the squad. “There is absolutely no reason to pay attention to these people,” Klopp declared. “You will not hear my opinion on this topic. In everyday life I have little time for nonsense, let alone for social media.”

On social media, Kay Gottschalk, one of the AfD’s leaders, made a comparison between the Germany of the 1990 World Cup, with only white players, and the current squad Klopp has chosen. Against Greece there were 8 Black players on the pitch. “Some virtues and team spirit are cultural values that develop over centuries and are shaped by shared historical experiences,” was the racist comment of the party that frightens Germany.

It has happened in the past too. Ten years ago it was Beatrix von Storch, at the time at the head of the AfD, who drew the same conclusion. Two years ago, before the European Championship held in Germany, Björn Höcke, an AfD politician, criticised the squad’s solidarity with the LGBTQI community, saying that he “could no longer identify with the national team”.

At the presentation press conference Klopp used words of unity and gave a political message. Without mentioning the name of the far-right party, he said he did not want to leave national pride in the wrong hands. On his head he wore a beret in the colours of the German flag with the inscription “One of 83 million”, referring to the country’s population.

Klopp stressed: “You can be proud to be German, while being open and kind.”