According to the survey, 17% of respondents are also unhappy with the squad being led by a captain of Turkish descent
The survey showed that among supporters of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AFD) party, 47% said they would like to see a ‘whiter’ team. Green Party voters were at the opposite end of the spectrum, with only 5% saying so.
Joshua Kimmich, a member of the German national football team, expressed dismay on Saturday, calling the results “absolutely racist.”
“Football can unite different skin colors and religions,” he argued.
The FC Bayern Munich star also tore into the broadcaster that commissioned the poll. “It is absolutely absurd to pose such a question ahead of a home European Football Championship, when it’s actually about uniting the whole country,” the player opined.
“This survey by ARD is absolutely counterproductive,” Kimmich concluded.
Numerous commentators on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram have also criticized the very premise of the poll.
Responding to these comments, the filmmakers behind the documentary and the survey which it includes explained that during the course of their work they encountered the narrative that there are too few ethnic Germans playing professional football in the country. The crew said it “certainly didn’t want to echo [this based on anecdotal evidence], but rather base it on well-funded data.”
“We are shocked ourselves that the results are the way they are, but they are also a representation of the social situation in today’s Germany,” the filmmakers stressed.
