Olaf Göttlich, a member of the German Football Association and president of the German club "St. Pauli," stated that it is time to consider boycotting the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, among other places, in light of US President Donald Trump's statements regarding Greenland. Associated Press reports this, according to UNN.
Details
"What were the justifications for boycotting the Olympic Games in the 1980s? By my calculations, the potential threat is now greater than it was then. We need to have this discussion. Qatar was too political for everyone, and now we are completely apolitical? That is what worries me very, very, very much," Göttlich said.
Göttlich, who is the president of the "St. Pauli" club, added that a boycott would not harm his team's players, noting that "the life of a professional player is not worth more than the lives of countless people in various regions who are directly or indirectly attacked or threatened by the World Cup host."
The publication notes that Göttlich's calls will be met with resistance from German Football Federation President Bernd Neuendorf and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Recall
US President Donald Trump's plan to establish control over Greenland provoked a sharp reaction in German political circles. Jürgen Hardt, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's foreign policy spokesman and a close confidant of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, did not rule out the possibility of boycotting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is to be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico.