Kneel down yes or no? The English national team kneels before each of their games as a sign against racism. It will be the same at Wembley. Is the DFB team taking part in a gesture that many teams reject?
One gesture occupies the whole of football in Europe: kneeling as a sign against racism. In the meantime, the discussion about the ritual reached the German team shortly before kick-off. The reason for this is simple: Quarter-final opponents England kneel before each game – the question automatically arises whether the Germans will participate.
National team captain Manuel Neuer told the football magazine “Kicker”: “Basically we think that’s very good from the English national team and from the teams that do it in the Premier League. We know this in this form from the Bundesliga and our international matches Not yet like this. We’ll talk about it in the team. ”
In other countries there were debates about the kneeling
It sounds like the German players will take part. After all, the DFB team has recently been very activist. In the World Cup qualifying games against Iceland at the end of March, the professionals presented the words “Human Rights” on their jerseys before kick-off, as a protest against the inhumane conditions that prevailed and still exist on the stadium construction sites of World Cup host Qatar. Days later against Romania there was a similar action with upturned jerseys reminding of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
At this EM, Neuer wears a rainbow armband for the recognition of the rights of the LGBTQ community. In this country, the debate about the rainbow colors only got heated when the Uefa forbade the city of Munich to also let the Allianz Arena in Munich shine in rainbow colors in protest against the homophobic legislation in Hungary. The outcry was violent against the “hypocritical” decision of the Continental Association, which apparently bowed to the protests of the Hungarian government over the right-wing conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The DFB, on the other hand, would apparently prefer to stay with the rainbow band and forego the kneeling. However, it seems difficult to imagine that the association would take a serious stand against the team if they were united in favor of kneeling down before the game against England.
The media criticized the Italian national team
The latest news from Italy shows how excited the debate is among the neighbors. Five players from the Squadra Azzurra had joined their opponents from Wales before the last group game and kneeled down before kick-off.
Numerous media criticized the inconsistent behavior of the national team. After all, no Italians went on their knees against Austria – it was agreed, also because the Austrians did not want to. Now it is said that the Italian professionals want to show the gesture together with the Belgians before their quarter-finals – possibly. In any case, defender Leonardo Bonucci indicated that the decision would be made dependent on the opponent. However, since the Belgians always kneel, the matter seems decided. As a precaution, the Italian association did not even comment.
In France, the symbolic kneeling was even a political issue, fueled by the upcoming regional election on Sunday. Right-wing parties used the discussion to rail against the kneeling – but this was not necessary at all. Because in contrast to the Belgians or the English, the French team, contrary to expectations, has so far refused the gesture. National goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said after the first game against Germany: “To put your knee on the ground, that has to be a joint decision. If we are to do that, then the others have to do it too, with the support of Uefa. ”
The majority of the teams have not yet participated
In general, the majority of the teams do not participate in the knee-fall, although this is in turn expressly welcomed by the Uefa. Wales moved their opponents Switzerland and Turkey to join in. The Scots knelt before the game against England. And referees also take part, for example the Spaniard Antonio Mateu Lahoz or German Felix Brych before the game between Belgium and Portugal – but the kneeling is not a pan-European phenomenon as a result.
Rather, the debate shows the turmoil in Europe. There was a loud whistling concert in St. Petersburg when the Belgians dared to kneel before the game against Russia, invented by the American footballer Colin Kaepernick to protest against racism in the United States. And the Hungarian Football Association spoke out against the gesture.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
