Germany’s World Cup stars urged to boycott Russia-held tournament
GERMANY – the last winner of the World Cup – is coming under pressure to boycott this year’s competition in Russia.
Some of the country’s top footballers called on their government ‘to act’ after being shown a picture of a badly injured young girl in Syria – one of the latest victims of the bombing campaign in eastern Ghouta by Russian and Syrian planes.
Players and coaches reacted with outrage after being shown the image of the girl by journalists from Bild – Germany’s top-selling newspaper, which has also become concerned about Russia’s alleged involvement in the Salisbury nerve gas attack.
The stars – including head coach Joachim Löw and Bayern Munich defender Joshua Kimmich – stopped short of calling for a boycott of the World Cup, but said the behaviour of Vladimir Putin’s regime puts them in a ‘difficult position’.
Julian Reichelt, editor-in-chief of Bild, also called on German firms such as Mercedes-Benz and Adidas to consider their World Cup sponsorship commitments. It comes days after British MPs called for a coordinated boycott of the World Cup.