HERZOGENAURACH, Germany (AP) — German midfielder Joshua Kimmich has called “absolutely racist” a survey and its conclusions that one in five of his compatriots would prefer more white players on the national team.
The survey of 1,304 randomly selected participants was commissioned for national broadcaster ARD’s documentary “Unity, Justice and Diversity”, which will be shown on Wednesday. Around 21% of respondents said they would prefer more white-skinned players to play for Germany.
“Anyone who grew up with football knows this is absolute nonsense. Football, in particular, is a good example of how it is possible to unite different nations, different skin colors and different religions,” Kimmich said on Saturday. “That’s what our team is all about. I would miss a lot of players if they weren’t here. This is absolutely racist and has no place in our locker room.”
Kimmich was speaking in Herzogenaurach, where Germany is holding a training camp for the upcoming European Championships. The 27-player squad is mixed and includes black players.
“When you consider that we are about to host a European Championship at home, it is absurd to ask such a question when the aim is to really unite the whole country,” said Kimmich. “It’s about achieving great things together. As a team, we are trying to get everyone in Germany to support us.”
Germany prepares for Euro 2024 with friendlies against Ukraine in Nuremberg on Monday and Greece four days later in Mönchengladbach.
The host country begins the tournament on June 14 against Scotland in Munich. They then face Hungary in Stuttgart on June 19 and Switzerland in Frankfurt on June 23.
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