Madonsela weighs in on Noah’s ‘racist’ soccer quip
Former public protector Thuli Madonsela has joined the ongoing debate around immigrants and Africa’s right to claim some of the world’s best talent as its own.
Trevor Noah voiced what many Africans had been saying when he claimed that the French soccer team’s victory at the World Cup was a victory for Africa.
He was slammed by French ambassador Gerard Araud for this‚ the envoy claiming the comedian’s comments “legitimises the ideology which claims whiteness as the only definition of being French”.
While Noah hit back, saying that a person could be both French and African‚ Madonsela took to Twitter to claim that Noah was “not getting” the ambassador’s reasoning.
She wrote: “In America we don’t call families like the Trumps German American or German, but that does not take away their ancestral identity.”
Madonsela’s page was busier than the shops over the festive season‚ with followers taking sides on whether it was right or unnecessary to actively claim immigrants to France as African.
But the argument was taken to the next level when German footballer Mesut Özil pointed out that he was only German when the national team won, but was labelled an immigrant when it lost.
The star‚ who has Turkish roots‚ defended his decision to pose for a controversial photograph with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May and wrote: “I am German when we win‚ but I’m an immigrant when we lose.”
He said the treatment he had received from the German soccer federation had led to his quitting the team.
“When high-ranking [federation] officials disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda‚ enough is enough.
“That is not why I play football‚ and I will not sit back and do nothing about it.
“Racism should never‚ ever be accepted.
“People with racially discriminative backgrounds should not be allowed to work in the largest football federation in the world, [which] has many players from dualheritage families,” he said. –
‘I am German when we win‚ but I’m an immigrant when we lose’ Mesut Ozil
FORMER GERMANY SOCCER PLAYER