In the hour of triumph and white-colored football players are cheered equally. If the success does not, however, attack all too often, racist reflexes. A scandal, says Joscha Weber.
Sunday evening, at 18:54, Champs de Mars in Paris. On the giant screen at the foot of the Eiffel tower, the Transmission of the world Cup final flickers, the big Moment has come. The referee has put the whistle in the mouth, the final whistle sounds, and in Paris, a volcano erupts. It is an Eruption of joy. France is the champion of the world, the people screaming, jumping, crying, and lying in the arms. In a second the whole emotional power of football is manifested.
DW sports editor Joscha Weber
“This is a Moment of enthusiasm, the optimism, the enthusiasm of the whole people”, said Laura. She is a Parisian, wearing of course the blue national team Jersey. Your eyes are still moist from the tears of joy falling down her cheeks, as she lets the DW-microphone your feelings run free. “Madness. The team has lives, she was a unit and showed a real Cohesion. She is a role model for the whole country.”
A France, as it could be: agreed to, equal to, successfully
Only a few moments have passed since the final whistle, and there it is again, the analogy between national team and the Nation. The French team, a good harmony rendes, multi-ethnic Ensemble as a metaphor for an equally colorful and successful Nation? As in 1998, France was first with a is also made of white and colored players mixed Eleven world champion, is drawn this comparison. Like 20 years ago, also this Time is very fast: The comparison.
Because in the Final night in France social frustration erupts in Paris and other cities. Rioters to destroy, many of them from the suburbs, and not a few with a migration background, and shops, burning cars. In the midst of the hour of jubilation, the Grande Nation is reminded of their major social problems. Namely, that young people have with black skin color, or Arabic-sounding name off the football field, far less good opportunities for advancement. The French world champion-Eleven is more of the projection area of France, as it could be: agreed to, equal to, successfully.
Scapegoat Mesut Özil
And what happens if they are failing, is shown by the example of Germany. On the noise end Of the German team in the preliminary round, a delusion Özil follows a witty debate about Mesut: is the Turk’s fault. In social media, but also of the person in charge of the DFB, the midfield is declared a Director as a scapegoat, although some of his team mates offered significantly worse performance. Of course, had to Meet Özil with his ominous Erdogan and the petulant Silence after that, not a Favor done. But the mass of discriminatory insults against the Gelsenkirchen-born son of Turkish parents, are a slap in the face for the supposedly liberal Germany. They show that racism is not, unfortunately, relegated to still – neither from the society nor from the football.
Bananas on the football field racism in football is still there
Swastikas in the Dawg pound, bananas raining down on colored footballer, abusive chants from the stands, white player, the colored competitors refuse to make the obligatory handshake – racism to be held in the international football, all the PR campaigns and efforts, Despite. “The Problem is still there. We need to do more,” said Gerald Asamoah on the Global Media Forum in 2018. As a national player and a Pro, among other things, at Schalke 04, he had to listen to monkey sounds and racist chants, today he is fighting against discrimination in football. “There is nothing worse than being marginalized, the pain of not belonging. I have three children, and that’s why I do everything to ensure that you don’t have to do the same as me”.
Discrimination at the world Cup
The Problem here is that Only a few can fight with such Conviction for the naturalness of equality in football. And so, the world Cup experienced in Russia again, bad cases of discrimination: The dark-skinned Brazilians Fernandinho was threatened for his own goal in the quarter-final game against Belgium with death and racially insulted. And the Swede Jimmy Durmaz was insulted in the social media after a foul on Germany’s Timo Werner (the led to the free kick, Toni Kroos to victory transformed) as a “suicide bomber” and also threatened with death.
It is a follows: When an ethnically diverse team has success and titles to get, are also colored players such as Kylian Mbappé or Paul Pogba celebrated Stars whose jerseys are the best-selling. If a Team is eliminated, however, and fails, to grab some of the “Fans” of the old, racist reflexes: players come from immigrant families, are much faster in the criticism and are even threatened with death. And in the year 2018. A much greater scandal than the premature departure of a world champion.
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