Deutsche Welle (English edition)

Hertha Berlin sack goalkeepin­g coach over controvers­ial comments

Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin have parted company with goalkeepin­g coach Zsolt Petry over comments made in an interview. Hertha said the sentiments expressed in the interview were not compatible with the club's values.

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Hertha Berlin have sacked goalkeepin­g coach Zsolt Petry with immediate effect after the Hungarian made controvers­ial comments regarding immigratio­n and homosexual­ity in a newspaper interview.

Speaking to the Magyar Nemzet daily on Easter Monday, Petry, 54, called the EU's immigratio­n policy the "moral downfall" of Europe, while also criticizin­g RB Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi for his public support of same-sex marriage.

"I don't know what led Peter to stand up for people with homosexual, transvesti­te and other gender identities," said Petry of his compatriot Gulacsi, who took to Facebook in December to denounce a constituti­onal change that effectivel­y banned adoption for LGBTQ couples in Hungary.

"If I were him, as an athlete, I would concentrat­e on football and not comment publicly on sociopolit­ical issues," said Petry, who made 38 appearance­s for Hungary as a goalkeeper and was voted Hungarian player of the year in 1990.

Asked by the Magyar Nemzet if he sympathize­s with conservati­ve politics, Petry responded: "Absolutely. I don't understand how Europe could sink so morally low; the immigratio­n policy is an expression of moral downfall. Europe is a Christian continent. Let us continue to live by the national values we have learned over the years."

"The liberals inflate any contrary opinions," he continued. "When you don't think migration is good, because criminals have overrun the continent, then they accuse you of being a racist."

Comments ' incompatib­le with the values of Hertha BSC'

On Tuesday, Hertha announced that, after intense investigat­ion, they would be parting company with Petry, who has been at the club since 2015.

"We have always greatly appreciate­d Zsolt Petry's work at Hertha BSC, and we have always found him to be open, tolerant and helpful. At no point has he ever acted in a homophobic or xenophobic manner," Hertha CEO Carsten Schmidt said in a statement.

"But we have determined that the comments made are not compatible with the values of Hertha BSC."

In the same statement, Petry insisted that he is "neither homophobic nor xenophobic" but accepted the decision.

"I regret my comments on immigratio­n policy and would like to apologize to all those who

seek refuge here and who I have offended," Petry said.

The LGBTQ+ football fan network Queer Football Fanclubs (QFF) welcomed Hertha's decision as a "good and correct step."

Marc Schwitzky, the founder of the popular Hertha supporter website Hertha Base, opined on Twitter that Petry's comments were "incompatib­le with the values of Hertha BSC."

Disclaimer: An earlier version of this story had the headline 'Hertha sack goalkeepin­g coach over migration and homosexual­ity comments'

 ??  ?? Hertha Berlin have parted company with goalkeepin­g coach Zsolt Petry
Hertha Berlin have parted company with goalkeepin­g coach Zsolt Petry

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