The video of his almost four-minute speech has long since gone viral and is being sent from cell phone to cell phone throughout the country: In it, Freiburg coach Christian Streich called on professional football and its fans to take part in the nationwide demonstrations against right-wing extremism. “If you don’t get up now, you haven’t understood anything. It’s five minutes to twelve,” Streich said when askedhow he sees the role of football and its fans in protesting against right-wing extremism.
“Everyone in this country is called upon to stand up and take a very clear position in their family circles, at work or elsewhere,” Streich continued and demanded: “Stand up, unambiguously, with a very clear stance. Nothing else.”
Streich himself took part in an anti-right rally in Freiburg on Wednesday. Now he explained that football fans are citizens, but also football coaches or business bosses. Anyone who stays seated now hasn’t understood anything. “No one should whine when they are ruled by an authoritarian, right-wing nationalist group” in which basic freedom rights “go to waste”.
Everyone in Germany must take responsibility. “I have been living in a democracy as a free person for 58 years,” explained Streich, who was born in South Baden in 1965: “That is incredible luck.” There are only a few people of this age in the world who could live so freely. It is therefore unbelievable what vocabulary is currently being used by the “so-called middle”. The background to the discussions is a meeting between right-wing extremists with politicians from the AfD and individual CDU members in a Potsdam villa, which was publicized by the media company Correctiv.
Tuchel and Hoeneß also comment
Other prominent figures from the Bundesliga also commented, including Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel. When it comes to this topic, “of course we have to say very clearly that not enough people can stand up. We are 1000 percent against it. There are no doubts against any kind of extremism – especially in the current discussion and in our history. It can Don’t give too much voice,” said Tuchel before Sunday’s Bundesliga game against Werder Bremen. Werder coach Ole Werner also explained: “You should set the example at the weekend – that is more important than ever in these times.”
Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß also took a clear position at the memorial service for Franz Beckenbauer on Friday. The Kaiser “initiated a process” through the 2006 World Cup in Germany. This would also be desirable in the future, “but I don’t want the AfD there,” emphasized Hoeneß.