Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has described a survey that asked if fans wanted to see more white players selected for the national team as “racist”.
Former Bayern Munich head coach Nagelsmann, 36, said “we need to wake up” after the poll from German state broadcaster ARD, in which 21 per cent of 1,304 respondents responded yes.
Nagelsmann’s comments echoed those of Germany international midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who condemned the poll as “absolutely racist” and “madness for a public broadcaster”.
The survey was conducted as part of an ARD documentary entitled ‘United and Justice and Diversity – The National Team Between Racism and Identification‘ in which current and former German national team members — including Gerald Asamoah, Shkodran Mustafi and Jonathan Tah — discuss their experiences with racism.
The broadcaster said the survey was commissioned to obtain measurable data on attitudes around race in the national team, with its sport director saying ARD was “dismayed that the results are what they are, but they are also an expression of the social situation in Germany today”.
29-year-old Kimmich insisted that the survey was “nonsense” and “absolutely racist”, adding that it was also “counterproductive” for national unity ahead of the tournament.
“Josh [Kimmich] responded really well, with a very clear and thought-out statement,” Nagelsmann said of the survey. “I see this in exactly the same way. This question is insane.
“There are people in Europe who’ve had to flee because of war, economic factors, environmental disasters, people who simply want to be taken in.
“We have to ask what are we doing at the moment? We in Germany are doing very, very well, and when we say something like that, I think it’s crazy how we turn a blind eye and simply block out such things.”
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The survey comes amid the backdrop of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party continuing to poll strongly — their support hovering around 20 per cent.
Earlier this year, the German government announced new legal measures designed to combat right-wing extremism as widespread anti far-right protests took place across Germany’s towns and cities.
Germany host Ukraine on Monday before playing Greece on June 7 in their final pre-tournament friendly match, before getting their European Championship campaign underway against Scotland on June 14.
Nagelsmann’s side will play Hungary five days later before completing their group stage against Switzerland on June 23.
(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
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