Streich worries about increasing anti-Semitism
Coach Christian Streich of Bundesliga soccer club SC Freiburg is concerned about growing anti-Semitism in the middle of society. "When I hear politicians from the so-called German center talking about imported anti-Semitism, it's more than irresponsible, it's unbelievable," said the 58-year-old after receiving the Julius Hirsch Prize in Berlin. "It suggests that the Muslim people who live with us simply have to leave the country. Then we would no longer have anti-Semitism. When such slogans come from the center, then you know where we are. And that is highly unacceptable and dangerous. It makes you worry."
On Monday evening, Streich received the honorary prize of the award, which has been presented since 2005 and is named after the former Jewish national team player Hirsch, who was murdered in Auschwitz in 1943. Actor Matthias Brandt, who gave the laudatory speech, called Streich a "decent man".
Off the pitch, the long-serving Freiburg coach repeatedly takes a stand on social and political issues. Soccer is such a big game that it doesn't matter whether someone is green, white or black and no matter what language they speak. "But it's no longer enough to say we play soccer. Too much has happened for that. It's gone in a direction where, 80 years after Auschwitz, you have to say: we need enlightenment, we need education. And in the right direction," said Streich.
So Streich showed his team the video of Robert Habeck, in which the Minister of Economics explains Germany's relationship with Israel and the protection of Jewish fellow citizens in Germany. "The speech was so extraordinary because it put things in order. In relatively simple language. And that's important, because not everyone understands every foreign word," said Streich, who also explained missing foreign words to his players, "because not all young people know what the Holocaust is anymore".
Streich's concerns about anti-Semitism in society extend to soccer, as he emphasized that the game should be inclusive, regardless of one's color, language, or background. "Soccer is such a big game that it doesn't matter whether someone is green, white or black and no matter what language they speak," he noted.
Subsequent to receiving the Julius Hirsch Prize, Streich highlighted the importance of enlightenment and education in combating anti-Semitism, stating, "80 years after Auschwitz, you have to say: we need enlightenment, we need education."
Source: www.dpa.com
