The Germany head coach, Julian Nagelsmann, has said he is shocked that a public broadcaster asked survey participants if they would prefer more white players in the national football team.
Nagelsmann has agreed with midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who said on Saturday that the survey for German state broadcaster ARD was “absolutely racist” and that it was “madness for a public broadcaster to ask such a question”.
The survey of 1,304 randomly selected participants asked if they would prefer to see more players with white skin playing for Germany; 21% of respondents said yes.
“I thought about it briefly, and I have the feeling that we need to wake up a bit,” Nagelsmann said at the team’s training camp for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament, which is taking place in Germany.
“There are people in Europe who’ve had to flee because of war, economic factors, environmental disasters, people who simply want to be taken in,” he continued. “We have to ask what are we doing at the moment? We in Germany are doing very, very well, and when we say something like that, I think it’s crazy how we turn a blind eye and simply block out such things.”
Nagelsmann also said Kimmich was correct when he said a football team can be a role model for how different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds can join in a group successfully to work together for major goals.
“I always find it bizarre that we all go on vacation to get to know other cultures and then other cultures come here and we complain about it. It’s bizarre,” Nagelsmann said. “So, I can’t go on vacation then. I always have to stay where I am.”
“We’re playing a European Championship for everyone in the country,” the 36-year-old added. “And anyone who can play top football is invited to be a national player and give their all for their country. And that’s what we’re doing. And I hope I never have to read about such a survey again.”
Germany will play Ukraine on Monday in Nuremberg, in the hosts’ first warmup game for Euro 2024. They then play Greece on Friday in Mönchengladbach, before opening the tournament against Scotland in Munich on 14 June.
Nagelsmann’s side will also face Hungary in Stuttgart on 19 June and Switzerland in Frankfurt on 23 June in their other Group A fixtures.
