Bastian Schweinsteiger works as a pundit at the World Cup held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and has been featured in several comments.
Manager Jurgen Klopp ended his interview with a German media broadcaster early (Image: DW Sports)
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has walked out of an interview after being asked about the racist spate involving Bastian Schweinsteiger. The World Cup winner has been accused of making racist remarks while addressing Germany’s victory over Ivory Coast.
The former Manchester United and Bayern Munich legend works for German broadcaster ARD. Schweinsteiger, 41, was pulled up for an explanation of the Ivorian’s style of play. When analyzing the West African national team, he classified their football as “African football”, describing it as “sometimes a little unconventional, a little wild, not very tactical”.
“You have to be prepared for situations to be unpredictable at times,” he also said before Julian Nagelsmann’s side won 2-1. The former midfielder’s comments were widely condemned and have become a hot topic in Germany.
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Klopp, who works as a pundit for Magenta TV in the US, was even asked by another journalist to comment on the story. When that happened, he immediately finished the interview and left. “And now you want to continue this topic,” the former Liverpool manager told DW Sports.
“No, no, I don’t have a chance, I don’t have a chance to answer this question. You put me in this situation because everyone likes it. It’s not my job for everyone to like it, but this is a serious subject. I don’t even know what’s appropriate to say.
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“For Africans it’s a different matter, but for others it’s a different matter. And I’m not here. Thankfully, I thought no one would ask me about that. You found a moment, and surprisingly you’re German. That surprised me very much. Thank you very much.”
Klopp then walked away from reporters, with many reporters heard saying “no, no” as he left.
Philipp Awonou, a black sports journalist and author from Germany, slammed Schweinsteiger’s comments in a recent feature. In a column for news magazine Der Spiegel, he wrote: “Behind words like ‘wild’ and ‘unpredictable’ are stereotypes that are older than football and have racist and colonial roots.
“In the past, black Africans were stigmatized as uncivilized (“wild”), foreign (“unorthodox”), and potentially dangerous (“unpredictable”).
“These are racist stereotypes,” sports content creator Patrick Schnitzler told his 50,000 followers on Instagram, referencing a recent academic study that found commentators and fans were more likely to comment on the physical characteristics of black soccer players than non-black players.
“We grow up in a society with stereotypes, so we learn those stereotypes. So does Schweinsteiger. So do you. So do I.”
Schweinsteiger’s comments have been widely condemned (Image: Getty Images)
Awonou also said he did not feel that Schweinsteiger was a racist, adding: “That is simply wrong. Despite his problematic comments, Mr. Schweinsteiger is absolutely not a racist and should not be labeled as such.”
“Ivory Coast were the difficult opponent we expected and showed their technical ability and physicality,” Schweinsteiger wrote on social media shortly after Germany’s dramatic 2-1 victory.
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