World Cup 2010 Comment: 'International' Germany Squad Should Be Praised, Not Ridiculed
Response to allegations that Loew’s squad is not all German after all…
By Clark Whitney
In our World Cup Comment series, individual writers at Goal.com offer their views on the hot World Cup topics of the day with local expertise and a global outlook...
They’re at it again! Fabio Capello’s men aren’t even out of the World Cup, but the English media have taken it upon themselves to sling mud at Germany. First, there were reports of German players using the Jabulani six months before the World Cup. To this, I simply reply: it would be an advantage if the Germans used a “punt-and-rush” style. But they’re too good at passing for that…
Then reports began to trickle out claiming that the German team is not all that German; that so-called “foreigners” of mixed descent made up Joachim Loew’s squad.
Really? I thought all Germans were meant to look like Oliver Kahn!
On a more serious note, those are bold words coming from journalists who hail from an England whose starting XI contains five players of African descent, and whose greatest star appears as traditionally Irish as they come. Rather than dwell on their hypocrisy, however, I’ll use this article to prove just how wrong the press have been to judge nationality based upon superficial characteristics, such as appearance and name.
Admittedly, a look through the German squad reveals many foreign names. Sami Khedira, Mario Gomez, Jerome Boateng, and Dennis Aogo are all the sons of immigrant fathers and German mothers. Mesut Ozil and Serdar Tasci both have Turkish names, the latter being a second-generation, and the former being a third-generation German. For all their differences, all the above have one thing in common: they were all born in Germany.
Name Father Nationality Mother Nationality Birthplace
Sami Khedira Tunisian German Stuttgart (GER)
Jerome Boateng Ghanaian German Berlin (GER)
Dennis Aogo Nigerian German Karlsruhe (GER)
Mario Gomez Spanish German Riedlingen (GER)
Serdar Tasci German German Esslingen (GER)
Mesut Ozil German German Gelsenkirchen (GER)
Yes, it’s true that Marko Marin was born in the former Yugoslavia, Cacau hails originally from Brazil, and Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, and Piotr Trochowski were born in Poland. But in this day and age, nationality is as much a matter of culture and feeling as it is of birth and ancestry.
Name Birthplace Age of Immigration Naturalised German Citizen?
Marko Marin Bosanska Gradiska 2 Yes
Lukas Podolski Gliwice (POL) 2 Yes
Miroslav Klose Kedzierzyn-Kozle (POL) <1 (to FRA), 7 (to GER) Yes
Piotr Trochowski Tczew (POL) 5 Yes
Cacau Santo Andre (BRA) 18 Yes
Of the above, only Cacau has spent most of his life outside Germany; the others all left in their infancy for various reasons, and were raised with influence from multiple cultures.
For many, the decision to choose a national team to represent ultimately depends on emotion. Whereas Germany natives Eric Maxim Coupo-Moting and Joel Matip have decided to represent Cameroon, members of Loew’s “international” contingent have chosen Germany instead. When civil war broke out in the Balkans, the German government welcomed Marin’s family as refugees. Nineteen years later, young Marko is repaying his country’s favour with service for its national football team.
All German | Different origins, same nationality
I could continue to develop my case, but perhaps it would be best to let the players speak for themselves.
“Nigeria approached me, but I don’t feel 100 percent Nigerian. I grew up in Germany and I feel emotionally attached to Germany [rather] than Nigeria.” – Aogo to Allemagne Zeitung.
“Germany is my home country. Entering the field for your home country is the greatest thing that can happen.” – Khedira, shortly after earning his first international cap.
“I have two hearts – a German one and a Polish one.” – Podolski, highlighting the emotions felt after he scored a brace for Germany against Poland at Euro 2008.
“I absolutely feel like a German when it comes to going out and representing my country…The national team reflects a multicultural country.” – Cacau, a man who grew up in another multicultural nation, Brazil.
Anyone who thinks that being blond or lightly brunette and either blue or green-eyed is a prerequisite for being German needs to be introduced to the 21st century. We live in a world in which people freely move from country to country. Just as the United States and Brazil are home to a vast array of cultures, Germany is also developing into a cultural “melting pot”.
I’ll close with a quote from Ozil, given to The Guardian, that best sums up the German team’s multiculturalism:
“My technique and feeling for the ball is the Turkish side to me game. The discipline, attitude, and always-give-your-all is the German part.”
If anything, Germany should be praised for welcoming immigrants into its national team. For a country that for so long took pride in its distinct cultural identity, it is now the unity of many cultures, its internationalism, that has made Germany the World Cup’s most impressive side in the opening round of the tournament. And there is nothing wrong with that.
http://98.129.138.249/en-india/news/310 ... -should-be
για να δειτε καλυτερα τους πινακες πηγαινετε στο λινκ...ζορρο και με στοιχεια..
(χώρια τους 6 ευρωπα'ι'κούς τελικούς με 3 τρόπαια)
