Gündoğan remains unsurprised by recent poll findings.
A study found that about 20% of people in Germany wish for more white players on their national soccer team. Some even criticize the background of player Ilkay Gündoğan, the team's captain, due to his Turkish heritage. Gündoğan himself isn't surprised by the racial sentiments in Germany, stating "I'm not surprised by the racist tendencies in German society." He added, "We all know these things exist worldwide."
Gündoğan also noted the timing of the survey. "It's completely unnecessary and makes no sense to me," he said. "We're living in the 21st century, and we have to conduct surveys like this?"
The reaction to the findings was intense, with Germany's coach Julian Nagelsmann commenting, "We need to wake up! There are many people in Europe who are fleeing from their homelands. It's insane how blind we can be." The team could potentially serve as an example of how different cultures and skin colors can work together towards a common goal.
Teammate Joshua Kimmich took issue with the survey results, stating, "Anyone who's grown up playing soccer knows this is absurd." Football is a fantastic example of diverse backgrounds, skin colors, and faiths uniting. "I'd miss so many players if they weren't here," added Kimmich. He called the findings "racist."
The survey was conducted by Infratest dimap for the documentary "Einigkeit und Recht und Vielfalt." It involved 1,304 randomly selected participants. Author Philipp Awounou defended the survey, acknowledging that there could have been better communication about its purpose. "We should have made the connection clearer: Why was this survey conducted, and what's its background? I think that's very understandable," he said on the ARD show "Hart aber fair."
During his research for the documentary, Awounou came across racially insensitive remarks about the national team. He felt the need to survey such opinions to gauge their prevalence in society. "If the approval ratings for the racist theses we surveyed had been very low, we would have left them out of the film," he wrote in an article for "Spiegel."
"We need surveys to understand the extent of race-related attitudes"
Awounou emphasized the importance of surveys to understand the extent of racist tendencies in society. "To explore racist attitudes, we need to ask about racist attitudes. This is a normal process in scientific opinion research."
Read also:
- The controversial survey results have sparked conversations about discrimination within German soccer, specifically targeting players like Ilkay Gündoghan due to his Turkish heritage.
- Julian Nagelsmann, the coach of Germany's national soccer team, expressed his concern about the survey, stating that it's alarming that people in Europe still harbor such racist sentiments.
- During the European Football Championship 2024, the German national soccer team could serve as a powerful example of unity and inclusivity, showcasing players from diverse backgrounds working together toward a common goal.
- Joshua Kimmich, a teammate of Gündoghan, strongly criticized the survey's findings, calling them racist and emphasizing that football is a beautiful representation of diversity.
- The DFB, the governing body of German soccer, and other European football organizations have a crucial role in combating discrimination and promoting a culture of inclusivity within the sport, ensuring that all players, regardless of their heritage, feel valued and respected.
