Christian Streich warns against people like Friedrich Merz
Anyone who talks about refugees like CDU leader Friedrich Merz "should be ashamed of themselves", says Christian Streich. The SC Freiburg coach takes a clear stance and is concerned about democracy in Germany. He hopes that more people will take a stand against AfD & Co.
Christian Streich may be a soccer coach first and foremost. But in recent years, the long-serving coach of SC Freiburg has earned a reputation for thinking far beyond sporting issues - and for expressing these thoughts publicly in a way that is well received. These days, the 58-year-old is concerned about the state of democracy in Germany. He cites the growing popularity of the AfD and the behavior of CDU leader Friedrich Merz as reasons for this concern.
"It's not going in the right direction at the moment," Streich told "Kicker" in a double interview with Frank Schmidt, his fellow coach at 1. FC Heidenheim. Both have been in charge of their clubs for what feels like an eternity: Streich since the beginning of 2012, Schmidt even since 2007, when Heidenheim were still in the fifth-tier Oberliga.
Schmidt explains in the interview that it is "very important" to "stand up against any form of discrimination, racism or anti-Semitism". Streich, on the other hand, believes it is essential to "name the agitators in this country". He cites the recurring incidents of discriminatory remarks in Germany's soccer stadiums based on skin color or sexual orientation as examples.
Streich also looks at the election polls, which reflect a strengthening of the AfD in many federal states. Although three of the party's state associations have now been classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as definitely right-wing extremist and Björn Höcke, one of the party's leading figures, can be called a "fascist" in a court of law. "We have to stand up to them. And we must do so rigorously. Because things are heading in a threatening direction all over the world." The fact that "70 percent" would not vote for the right-wing party seems to give the Freiburg coach hope. He indirectly calls on this majority to take action.
However, Streich also criticizes those who see themselves as being in the middle of society and encourage the right-wing narrative. "One problem is when stories are told from the so-called political center that people who are on the run, who are doing terribly, are overburdening our dentists." CDU leader Friedrich Merz made the same claim around three months ago: "They are sitting at the doctor's and having their teeth redone, and the German citizens next door can't get appointments." The opposition leader was harshly criticized for this, and a fact check by ARD described the statement as untenable. Streich considers statements like Merz's to be "highly dangerous", even if he does not explicitly mention Merz's name. "These people who say such things should be ashamed of themselves."
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Source: www.ntv.de
