FRANKFURT (ALEMANIA), 13 Dic. (dpa/EP) –
The president of the German Football Federation (DFB), Bernd Neuendorf, acknowledged on Tuesday that there were communication errors in the discussion surrounding the use of the “One Love” bracelet that the captain of the Teutonic team, Manuel Neuer, could not wear. , in the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
“As presidents of the Europeans we should have sought a direct path with Gianni Infantino, have asked what FIFA’s position was and if we had a binding statement,” the German president said during a press conference in the German city of Frankfurt.
The DFB and other European national associations wanted to present themselves at the World Cup with the multicolored “One Love” bracelet, a symbol of diversity and the fight against discrimination. However, FIFA banned it at very short notice and threatened sporting sanctions.
“In the future we have to adapt our behavior towards FIFA and push harder for answers. This should not have carried over into the tournament. We should not allow things to go that far again. This was very busy for me personally. One wonders if it was the right decision,” he admitted.
“It is necessary to clarify that our task was above all sporting and this consisted of playing a successful tournament. We always said that we did not want to put individual players or the team at risk,” he added.
Finally, Neuendorf said FIFA would help create a permanent office for migrant workers’ affairs in Doha and an efficient system for the payment of compensation. “This would not have happened if the European associations had not energetically advocated for it to be so. We cannot forget this in the context of everything we live around the bracelets,” he concluded.