Following Vice Oke Göttlich’s initiative, the Presidium of the German Football Association (DFB) has clearly positioned itself against a World Cup boycott despite the fragile situation surrounding co-host USA.
Staying away from the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico (June 11th to July 19th) is “currently not an issue,” the association wrote after a meeting on Friday.
The Presidium “agreed that sports policy debates should be conducted internally and not publicly.”
Göttlich, president of the Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli and deputy head of the DFB, said he wanted to “initiate a discussion” and demanded answers from those responsible regarding a possible boycott – including from Bernd Neuendorf.
In addition to the DFB President, club representatives also spoke out clearly against a boycott at the New Year’s reception of the German Football League (DFL).
“We believe in the unifying power of sport and in the global impact that a World Cup can have. Our goal is to strengthen this positive force – not to prevent it,” wrote the DFB in a statement. The association is “in preparation for the tournament in exchange with representatives from politics, security, business and sport”.
Boycott debate “untimely”
Neuendorf and league president Hans-Joachim Watzke had also expressed their displeasure that Göttlich had forced the debate. This comes “at the wrong time,” said the DFB President: “The colleague hasn’t been there that long. Unfortunately, he has rushed ahead.”
US President Donald Trump’s aggressive policy with regard to Greenland, the renewed customs threats towards the co-host Canada and the escalation in the operations of the immigration authority ICE in Minneapolis with a second fatality within two and a half weeks are making many people look fearfully towards the United States. There were also initial voices from the political ranks that brought a boycott into play. The federal government has officially advised travelers to exercise increased caution since Monday.
“Football has to be able to tolerate the topic being discussed,” said Göttlich on Monday. The DFB now wrote: “We want to compete against the other qualified teams in a fair competition next summer. And we want fans around the world to celebrate a peaceful celebration of football in the stadium and on the fan miles – just like we experienced at the 2024 European Football Championship in our own country.”
