Large parts of society have expressed outrage over the Collien Fernandes case, but in football the outcry is limited. Meira Werner explains why this is problematic.
The Collien Fernandes case has been affecting society for days. The presenter and actress initially made serious allegations against her ex-husband Christian Ulmen in “Spiegel” and sworn certain accusations. She then also commented on her Instagram account. As a result, Ulmen is said to have distributed digitally faked sexual images of her online for years. Her affidavit also shows that he allegedly assumed their identity to hundreds of men online and made sexual advances to these men on their behalf. Fernandes spoke, among other things, of “digital rape”.
Christian Ulmen himself has so far remained silent about the allegations. The presumption of innocence applies. His legal advisor, celebrity lawyer Christian Schertz, calls the “Spiegel” publications “untrue facts based on one-sided descriptions” in a press release. You can read more details about the allegations here.
While the case has drawn expressions of solidarity from many parts of society, there has been little reaction from football. Meira Werner, content creator in the field of football and a sports presenter for ZDF, among others, sees this as a problem. In an interview with t-online, she explains why the football world has to position itself and what change is now needed.
t-online: What went through your mind when you read Collien Fernandes’ statements?
Meira Werner: I thought to myself: it’s great that it doesn’t shock me. That sounds harsh, but after all the things that men have allowed themselves to do in recent years, including in football, I’m no longer surprised. I also felt a sense of regret that Collien was only now able to gather the courage, that she only now feels protected by society to talk about it. We still have a lot to do to make women feel safer.
How did you perceive the public reaction?
Similar topics have not been raised in the past because no one dared to comment on them. Reference was made to ongoing proceedings. It’s different this time, it got loud. Many strong women have spoken out.
“Aren’t they ashamed to think about such topics at such an age?”
Meira Werner on the reaction of some men
Many men in the industry took a direct stand and stood by Collien’s side. But some were also confronted with their role and their task in such a situation for the first time. Some people did this better than others.
