"We believe in the unifying power of sport and the global impact that a FIFA World Cup can have, the federation said in a statement issued late Friday. Our goal is to strengthen this positive force not to prevent it. The federation, known as the DFB, said its executive committee met and discussed the option of a boycott of the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a consideration first proposed last week by DFB vice president Oke Gottlich."
"Gottlich, who is also the president of Bundesliga club St. Pauli, referred to Trump's recent actions and statements and said it was time to seriously consider a boycott. In what appears to be a public rebuke to Gottlich, however, the DFB said debates on sports policy should be conducted internally and not in public. The DFB said a boycott is not currently under consideration."
"The DFB is in contact with representatives from politics, security, business, and sports in preparation for the tournament from June 11-July 19. Trump has sowed discord in Europe with his takeover bid for Greenland and threats to impose tariffs on European countries that opposed it, while U.S. actions in Venezuela and at home in dealing with protests in American cities have also raised alarm. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter last week advised fans to stay away from the tournament."
The German Football Federation (DFB) ruled out a boycott of the World Cup scheduled in the United States, Canada and Mexico, emphasizing belief in sport's unifying power and intent to strengthen that positive force. The DFB executive committee considered a boycott after DFB vice president Oke Gottlich proposed it in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump's actions and statements. The DFB urged that sports policy debates be handled internally and said no boycott is currently under consideration. The federation is coordinating with political, security, business and sports representatives; Germany's team intends to participate.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]