German government rules out boycott of 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

The German government stated on Wednesday that a boycott of the World Cup in the United States is not "the right path" to express disagreement with Donald Trump's policies, after having raised this possibility during moments of tension with the American government.

"Political conflicts should be fought in the political arena, and sports should remain sports," declared the German government spokesperson, Steffen Meyer, in a press conference.

Berlin "does not support" a boycott because "sports should not be used for political purposes," added Germany's Sports Minister, Christiane Schenderlein, to the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Schenderlein also noted that the World Cup (from June 11 to July 19) will also be hosted by Canada and Mexico.

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Geopolitical Tension

A four-time world champion, the German team has participated in every edition of the tournament since 1954.

In January, at the height of tensions between Europe and Washington over Trump's declared intention to annex Greenland and impose additional tariffs on European countries that opposed it, Schenderlein herself did not rule out a boycott.

"The federal government respects the autonomy of sports," and the participation of the German team is "the sole responsibility of the competent sports federations, not the political world," the minister responded to AFP at the time.

Calls for a boycott of the next World Cup initially arose due to tensions surrounding Greenland and later due to the US government's anti-immigration policies and the methods of the immigration police in Minneapolis, where two protesters were killed by federal agents.

At the end of January, former FIFA president Joseph Blatter reiterated the appeal of a famous Swiss anti-corruption lawyer for people to "avoid the United States."

According to the German magazine Spiegel, several left-wing European deputies wrote to UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) on Wednesday, asking it to consider possible sanctions, including a boycott, due to Donald Trump's "political measures" and "rhetoric."

Last Monday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino expressed his opposition to boycotts, which, according to him, "simply contribute to more hatred."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.