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A member of the German soccer federation’s executive committee has advocated for the nation to boycott the upcoming FIFA World Cup in response to President Donald Trump’s recent actions.
Oke Göttlich, president of the Bundesliga club St. Pauli and one of the 10 vice presidents of the German federation, told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper in an interview on Friday that “the time has come” to “seriously consider and discuss this.”
Göttlich compared the situation to the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which were boycotted by several nations led by the United States in response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.
“What were the justifications for the boycott of the Olympic Games in the 1980s? In my opinion, the potential threat is greater now than then. We need to have this debate,” Göttlich said.
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Göttlich went on to reference political talks over the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino, considered a close ally of Trump.
“Qatar was too political for everyone, and now we are completely apolitical? That’s something that really bothers me,” Göttlich added.
“As organizations and societies, we are forgetting how to set taboos and boundaries and how to defend values. Taboos are an essential part of our posture. Is a taboo crossed when someone threatens? Is a taboo crossed when someone attacks? When people die? I would like to know from Donald Trump when he has reached his taboo, and I would like to know from Bernd Neuendorf and Gianni Infantino.”
Göttlich also dismissed the suggestion that a boycott would harm St. Pauli’s national team players, Australia’s Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe, and Japan’s Joel Chima Fujita.
“The life of a professional player is not worth more than the lives of countless people in various regions who are being directly or indirectly attacked or threatened by the host of the World Cup,” he said.
France’s sports minister answered questions about whether the country would consider boycotting the 2026 FIFA World Cup in response to the recent “framework” agreement the United States reached. control of part of Greenland.
French Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life Marina Ferrari told reporters this week that the country has “no desire” to skip the World Cup, which will be held in North America this year.
“As things stand now, there is no desire on the part of the ministry to boycott this great competition,” Ferrari said. “Now, I’m not going to anticipate what could happen, but I have also heard voices from certain political blocs. I am one of those who believes in keeping sport separate [from politics]. “The World Cup is an extremely important moment for those who love sport.”
FRANCE SAYS IT HAS ‘NO DESIRE’ TO BOYCOTT WORLD CUP AMID THE ‘FRAMEWORK’ OF US-GREENLAND AGREEMENT
U.S. President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, during the official draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025, in Washington, DC (Emilee Chinn/FIFA via Getty Images)
Far-left French politician Éric Coquerel has called for stripping the United States of hosting rights to the World Cup and has suggested a boycott by France.
“Seriously, can you imagine going to play the World Cup in a country that attacks its ‘neighbors’, threatens to invade Greenland and tramples on international law?” Coquerel told reporters.
Trump announced on Wednesday Truth Social that the framework for an agreement An agreement has been reached for the United States to gain control of parts of Greenland.
“Based on a very productive meeting I had with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, we have formed the frame of a future agreement regarding Greenland and, indeed, the entire Arctic region,” he wrote.
“This solution, if consummated, will be great for the United States of America and all NATO nations,” Trump wrote in the post. “Based on this understanding, I will not impose the tariffs that were due to take effect on February 1. Additional discussions are underway regarding The Golden Dome as it relates to Greenland.”
Despite similar calls for sanctions in response to Trump’s foreign policy, the United States has not been penalized by any major sports body for its recent intervention in Venezuela any.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to calls to exclude the United States and its athletes from the upcoming Winter Olympic Games over intervention in Venezuela. The committee ruled out any sanctions against the US.
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U.S. President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, during the official draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025, in Washington, DC (Emilee Chinn/FIFA via Getty Images)
“As a global organization, the IOC has to manage a complex reality. The IOC has to deal with the current political context and the latest events in the world,” the IOC said in a statement provided to Pak Gazette Digital.
“The ability to bring together athletes, no matter where they come from, is fundamental to the future of a truly global and values-based sport, which can give hope to the world. For this reason, the IOC cannot get directly involved in political issues or conflicts between countries, as they fall outside our sphere of competence. This is the sphere of politics.”
