Bavaria’s prime minister Markus Söder urges the German national team to refrain from political messaging during the World Cup. “My advice: as little politics as possible. We tried this once in Qatar and it didn’t work. Not twice, please,” the CSU politician told the portal “t-online”.
In Qatar in 2022, there were initially discussions about wearing a rainbow armband as a show of solidarity with queer people by captain Manuel Neuer. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar. After that, the German players covered their mouths with their hands in the team photo before the match against Japan. Germany was eliminated in the group stage.
Söder hopes for as little distraction as possible during the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. “And I very much hope that this time the team can play freely and not again receive a thousand political tips from Germany,” said the 59-year-old.
Marcy Ellerton
