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A member of the German football federation’s executive committee has called for the country to boycott the upcoming FIFA World Cup, in response to recent actions by President Donald Trump.
The president of Bundesliga club St. Pauli, Oke Göttlich, who is one of ten vice-presidents of the German federation, said in an interview with the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper on Friday that “the time has come” to “consider and discuss it seriously”.
Göttlich compared the situation to the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which were boycotted by several countries led by the United States in response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.
“What were the justifications for boycotting the Olympic Games in the 1980s? In my opinion, the potential threat is greater today than it was then. We need to have this discussion,” Göttlich said.
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Göttlich then referenced the political conversations surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and called out FIFA President Gianni Infantino, considered a close ally of Trump.
“Qatar was too political for everyone and now we are completely apolitical? This is something that really, really, really bothers me,” Göttlich added.
“As organizations and a society, we forget how to set taboos and boundaries, and how to defend values. Taboos are an essential part of our position. 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 reached his taboo, and I would like to know from Bernd Neuendorf and Gianni Infantino.
Göttlich also rejected the suggestion that a boycott would harm St. Pauli’s national team players, Australians Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe, as well as Japan’s Joel Chima Fujita.
“The life of a professional player is not worth more than that of countless people in various regions who are directly or indirectly attacked or threatened by the host of the World Cup,” he said.
Meanwhile, France’s sports minister responded to a question about whether the country would consider boycotting the 2026 FIFA World Cup in response to the recent “framework agreement” reached by the United States. control of part of Greenland.
French Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life Marina Ferrari told reporters this week that the country had “no desire” to skip the cup, which is being held this year in North America.
“As things currently stand, there is no desire from the ministry to boycott this great competition,” Ferrari said. “Now, I don’t anticipate what might happen, but I have also heard voices from certain political blocs. I am one of those who believe 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 BOYCOT WORLD CUP UNDER US-GREENLAND DEAL
U.S. President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino 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. (Émilee Chinn/FIFA via Getty Images)
Far-left French politician Éric Coquerel called for the United States to be stripped of the right to host the World Cup and suggested a boycott by France.
“Seriously, can we imagine playing the World Cup in a country that attacks its ‘neighbors’, threatens to invade Greenland and flouts international law?” Coquerel told reporters.
Trump announced Wednesday on Truth Social that the framework for an agreement was designed for the United States to take control of parts of Greenland.
“Based on a very productive meeting I had with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, we formed the frame of a future agreement regarding Greenland and, indeed, the entire Arctic region,” he wrote.
“This solution, if passed, will be a tremendous solution for the United States of America and for all NATO nations,” Trump said. wrote in the message. “Based on this understanding, I will not impose the tariffs that were to come into 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 sporting body for its recent intervention in Venezuela either.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to calls to exclude the United States and its athletes from the upcoming Winter Olympics due to intervention in Venezuela. The commission ruled out any sanctions against the United States
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U.S. President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino 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. (Émilee Chinn/FIFA via Getty Images)
“As a global organization, the IOC must manage a complex reality. The IOC must face the current political context and the latest developments in the world,” the IOC said in a statement provided to PK Press Club Digital.
“The ability to bring athletes together, wherever they come from, is fundamental to the future of a truly global, values-based sport that can give hope to the world. For this reason, the IOC cannot get directly involved in political issues or conflicts between countries, as these do not fall within our remit. That is the domain of politics.”
