Football has always been standing strong in favour of equality of race, religion and gender. From UEFA’s ‘Say No to Racism’ campaign, to the movement against the pay gap for women footballers last year, and the very recent ‘No Room for Racism’ rising in the English Premier League- the demurral against discrimination is larger than ever. And now, the German Football Association have come forward with their own modus operandi.
Fritz Keller, the president of Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), has openly stated that the German national team will not participate in any matches taking place in a country where women are not given equal rights.
Speaking to German news outlet Die Welt, Keller said: “With German football we have to agree on a differentiated answer to complex questions. What values are not negotiable for us? For example, women’s rights.”
“That’s why in my first DFB Bureau meeting I submitted a draft resolution based on which we no longer allow national teams to play in countries where women are not granted equal access to football stadiums or other sports facilities without discrimination” the 62 year old added.
Germany, who are currently competing in the 2020 UEFA Euro Qualifiers, are 2nd in Group C with 15 points, with their latest 3-0 voctory over Estonia in October. They will face Belarus in their next qualifier on 17th November.
