Politics and Sport Clash

"Germany’s focus on two qualifying matches for the 2008 European Championship has been deflected by a growing controversy over the decision of one of its youth players to withdraw from a match in Israel

The player, Ashkan Dejagah, dropped out of the German team for its under-21 European Championship qualifying match in Tel Aviv on Friday. Dejagah, 21, was born in Iran and moved to Germany with his parents. He has both German and Iranian passports.

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Dejagah said his decision was political. Iranian citizens are forbidden to travel to Israel, a country that Iran does not recognize, but German officials are particularly sensitive to any issues involving Israel. As part of the team’s trip, German players are expected to visit a memorial to Holocaust victims."

I say, "fuck him, the racist cunt"