Played the frowned upon first verse
Anthem scandal at Charr boxing match
12/8/2024 – 11:53 a.mReading time: 1 min.
Even before the fight between Mahmoud Charr and Kubrat Pulev started, there was a scandal. The focus was on the German anthem.
The World Championship fight between Mahmoud Charr and Kubrat Pulev made headlines even before the first gong – but for a completely unexpected reason. At the event in Sofia, organizers played the first verse of the German national anthem, which is frowned upon in Germany, before the fight.
Instead of the usual third verse, the words “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles” sounded from the loudspeakers. The lines that were misused during National Socialism are considered frowned upon in Germany. Although singing the first verse is not forbidden, it is not used in public. Currently only the third verse of the anthem is sung.
Ulli Wegner, who trains Pulev, told the German Press Agency: “Something like that shouldn’t happen, especially at such high points.” Erol Ceylan, Charr’s promoter, told “Bild”: “Embarrassing of the organization.”
For 40-year-old Charr, the evening ended in disappointment, and not just because of the anthem scandal. In the ring, the German professional boxer had to admit defeat on points to Pulev, who was trained by Wegner.