The politically turbulent situation is not leaving football unaffected either. Led by Freiburg coach Christian Streich, some clubs are taking a stand, others are remaining silent.
At a press conference, the coach of the Bundesliga soccer team SC Freiburg, who has repeatedly positioned himself against parties like the AfD in the past, became clearer than perhaps ever before.
“If you don’t get up now, you haven’t understood anything. That’s beyond question. It’s five minutes to twelve. If you don’t do anything now, you haven’t understood anything at school or in history.”said Streich, who took part in a demonstration against the right-wing camp on Wednesday (January 17, 2024) with other representatives of the sports club in Freiburg. So Streich had an opinion – and this time he wasn’t alone.
Werder President Hubertus Hess-Grunewald, for example, demanded “loud, decisive signal against any form of exclusion, intolerance and discrimination.” There will be a demonstration in Bremen on Sunday (January 21, 2024), and this was already the case in Mainz on Thursday. “Mainz remains stable”wrote the 05ers on X (formerly Twitter).
Hannover 96 also positioned itself: “Saturday is an important day. We hope for a successful start to the second half of the season and for many people to take a stand and take to the streets.”
“Stand up, have a clear edge” – Streich’s demands on society
But what became clearest was Streich, who had repeatedly positioned himself clearly against parties like the AfD in the past. Streich appealed to the entire society. “Football fans are citizens, football coaches are citizens, business bosses are also citizens. Everyone in this country is called on to stand up and take a very clear position”he said: “Stand up, very clear edge, nothing else. Nobody can stay seated anymore. Everyone is responsible for themselves.”
Streich explicitly warned against the AfD. “Nobody can come to me and call themselves a protest voter. Nobody should complain to me if they are then ruled autocratically by a right-wing nationalist party.”said Streich. “I have been living as a free person in a democracy for 58 years. I am eternally grateful for that. The vocabulary that is used is unbelievable.”
The AfD is currently at a record high in polls. And there is another development: The media company “Correctiv” reported last week about a meeting on November 25, 2023, at which right-wing radicals met with politicians from the AfD and CDU in a Potsdam villa.
The former head of the Identitarian Movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, said he spoke there about “remigration”. When right-wing extremists use the term, they usually mean that large numbers of people of foreign origin should leave the country – even under duress.
In response, there have been demonstrations against the right in several cities in recent days.
Rose – “Stand up against stupidity and right-wing extremism”
This is one of the reasons why many clubs are more committed than ever to supporting basic democratic values and against right-wing extremism. The clubs called on their fans to support their cause.
“What was definitely an outstanding event was the event at the Heumarkt”said Cologne defender Timo Hübers, referring to the recent large-scale demonstration in the cathedral city: “I don’t think you have to have strong opinions to be against the right. And when you see how many people can be mobilized in such a short time, it at least puts a smile on my face.”
And Leipzig coach Marco Rose said: “I think it’s very important to stand up against stupidity and right-wing extremism in every form. I think it’s good that people are doing that, that they’re clearly showing their colors and taking to the streets.”
In Hamburg, there is a demonstration even when there is football
It was no surprise that Oke Göttlich also spoke up as president of FC St. Pauli. Divine had more important things on his mind than football. “Hamburg stands up” was the motto of the demonstration against right-wing extremism, which the president of FC St. Pauli also called for on Friday (January 19, 2024). The simultaneous start of the second division? By the way, many Hamburger SV fans also joined in.
“To put it bluntly: the free, democratic coexistence of our city is being threatened.”, wrote the HSV Supporters Club and called on its more than 65,000 members to take part in the demo. President Göttlich from rival FC St. Pauli must have been pleased.