PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Germany has been widely praised for its protest against Fifa.
Now Eden Hazard goes in the opposite direction and vents his criticism.
– Maybe it would have been better not to do it, he says according to RMC Sport.
Even before the World Cup, Germany had prepared a clear protest against the host country Qatar and its regime. But when Fifa went out and banned the captain’s armband with rainbow colors and the words “One Love”, the Germans had to improvise a new protest.
Hazard’s criticism
Before the first World Cup match against Japan on Wednesday, all players in the starting eleven chose to keep their mouths shut during the team photo to clearly show their displeasure. The Germans’ clear protest has been widely praised around the world, but now a backlash is coming from a most unexpected direction.
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It’s the Belgian WC star Eden Hazard, a regular at Real Madrid, who joins the debate and airs his major criticism of Germany’s actions. The 31-year-old does not appreciate the protest at all and gives his view on the matter.
– Maybe it would have been better not to do it and win instead, he says according to RMC Sport.
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Germany’s response
Germany lost the opener against Japan 2-1 after a late comeback by the Japanese. Hazard is particularly clear that he only wants to focus on football and not politics during the criticized championship in Qatar.
– We are here to play football, I am not here to send a political message. There are other people who are better suited for that, he says in the interview.
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The German Football Association has subsequently explained the protest and justified why they chose to carry it out.
“It’s not about a political message: Human rights are not negotiable. It should be obvious. But unfortunately it is not yet. That is why this message is so important to us. Forbidding us from wearing the TIE is like banning our mouths. Our stance is firm,” they wrote in an official statement to the football world.
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