German players are unlikely to make any major political statements at Euro 2024 after their World Cup protest in Qatar was met with a tepid domestic reception, ex-international Thomas Hitzlsperger has predicted. (More Football News)
Seven European nations at the 2022 global showpiece 바카라 including England 바카라 initially planned to wear 바카라OneLove바카라 anti-discrimination armbands but were dissuaded following the threat of sporting sanctions from FIFA.
Instead, the Germans covered their mouths for a World Cup team photograph in protest, while the tournament remained overshadowed by the host nation바카라s record on human rights, from its treatment of migrant workers to the criminalisation of same-sex relationships.
Hitzlsperger, who bookended his playing career with spells at Aston Villa and Everton and a decade ago became the first former Premier League player to come out as gay, said: 바카라It ended for the German team not in a good way. Funnily enough, back home a lot of people criticised it whereas abroad it was seen as a big statement.
바카라After the tournament, some of the representatives of the German national team just said, 바카라look, at the Euros we talk about football, nothing else바카라. So I don바카라t expect much from the team similar to the World Cup.
바카라I think the England team were the first ones to play, and they decided against the One Love armband. A lot of the German players, they felt a responsibility, they felt 바카라we바카라ve got to make a statement바카라.
바카라They couldn바카라t rely on the other teams. I think there were seven teams in the end that tried to stick together and wear the armband, and then they all collapsed, basically. And that바카라s when the Germans were like, 바카라We still have to do something바카라.바카라
The former midfielder, who is now serving as an ambassador for this summer바카라s tournament in his home country, agrees that Germany바카라s poor showing likely influenced negative sentiment around the protest.
He said: 바카라Football can be brutal. If you win, you set the tone and whatever you do it바카라s accepted and people look up to you. If you don바카라t win, you lose football matches, then you better not say anything.바카라
Even before the tournament, said the 42-year-old, the German public was already divided over whether or not the national team 바카라 or anyone 바카라 had a responsibility to act.
바카라It was a very difficult debate and it never came to a conclusion,바카라 said Hitzlsperger.
바카라Some said it바카라s too much politics, others said it was right what we did, and that바카라s where we ended. That was our opportunity to say 바카라we바카라re hosting a European Championship, let바카라s have a really good time together바카라, talk about responsibility when it comes to sustainability but don바카라t teach the world what to do.바카라
Organisers hope the tournament itself will instead do the talking, with ambitions to become be the most sustainable European Championship of all time through the use of entirely pre-existing stadia run by 100 per cent renewable energy sources, a zoned match schedule reducing travel distances for teams and fans, and the creation of a climate fund dedicated to projects focused on mitigating tournament-related unavoidable emissions.
It is also the second major football tournament, following in the footsteps of last summer바카라s Women바카라s World Cup, to sign a human rights declaration.
UEFA has stated EURO 2024 바카라embraces gender identities and expressions as a spectrum that is not limited to a binary concept바카라, with gender-neutral toilets available at all venues and similarly neutral lanes outside the stadia to accommodate a range of gender expressions for procedures like body checks.
Ultimately, says Hitzlsperger, 바카라the German FA, UEFA, the German government and the foreign ministry, (will do) everything we can do, without putting the team under too much pressure to say 바카라every game you have to make a statement바카라.
바카라You have to know who is responsible for what, and unfortunately what happened in Qatar really made the players aware of the consequences if you take a stance on human rights.바카라
