Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BERLIN — No more heroes, Germany wants winners. The days of the Germany soccer team making political gestures appear to be over. Coach Julian Nagelsmann says he wants his players to concentrate on playing and to leave the political statements aside. Nagelsmann says "We saw in Qatar that too many political issues can harm a team." Germany flopped at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after a campaign overshadowed by criticism of the host country's human rights record. Many German fans called for a boycott of the tournament. Players and politicians alike made gestures in support of equal rights and tolerance.
