A senior German football official has urged European nations to give serious thought to boycotting this summer’s World Cup in response to President Donald Trump’s conduct.
Oke Gottlich, who serves as both St Pauli’s club president and a vice-president of the German Football Association, made the call in an interview with the Hamburger Morgenpost.
“I really wonder when the time will be to think and talk about this concretely,” Gottlich said. “For me, that time has definitely come.”
His remarks follow heightened transatlantic tensions after Trump threatened to acquire Greenland, a Danish territory, and proposed tariffs against European nations opposing his plans.
Donald Trump has been blasted over his threats to acquire Greenland
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Gottlich drew parallels with the Cold War era, invoking the American-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics that followed the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
“What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s?” he asked.
“By my reckoning the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.”
The St Pauli president also accused FIFA of inconsistency, pointing to the controversy surrounding the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
“Qatar was too political for everyone and now we’re completely apolitical? That’s something that really, really, really bothers me,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether Germany will boycott the World Cup this year
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Not all European governments share Gottlich’s appetite for such drastic action, however.
France’s sports minister stated this week that Paris has “no desire” to boycott the tournament, maintaining that sport ought to remain distinct from political matters.
The World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with 78 of the 104 scheduled matches taking place on American soil.
Meanwhile, the Danish Football Association acknowledged it is “aware of the current sensitive situation” but stopped short of backing any boycott call.
Denmark are currently pursuing qualification for the tournament through the play-off route.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico | REUTERS
Gottlich rejected suggestions that a boycott would unfairly penalise footballers, including international players at his own club.
“The life of a professional player is not worth more than the lives of countless people in various regions who are being directly or indirectly attacked or threatened by the World Cup host,” he stated.
The German official also challenged football’s governing bodies to define their moral limits.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was also asked to clarify his position
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“I would like to know from Donald Trump when he has reached his taboo, and I would like to know from Bernd Neuendorf and Gianni Infantino,” he said, referring to the DFB and FIFA presidents respectively.
