Comments on: Just How German are Germany’s Strikers?

By: Wnuck

Wnuck — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:23:51 +0000

fyi: http://tv.dfb.de/index.php?view=648

By: Wnuck

Wnuck — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:37:42 +0000

… well, most things have been said. The families of Klose and Podolski had been, german, polish, german again… You could as well ask “how french is zizou?” But I wont, I don’t care.
In Germany we call it integration, one of the biggest problems these days here and everywhere else and some of us are even a bit proud that it starts working (besides sports too, of course). So why split it up again? And why even in sports?
I really don’t get the point of this “article”.
Btw. there’s a tv spot in german TV right now, you see the players parents having a barbecue. You can see different colors, hear different languages, and “see” different religions. I feel good about that.
Schlaand for the cup!

By: Tamara

Tamara — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:36:25 +0000

you are what you chose to be. Let them pick who they want to play and respect their choice – after all, we expect them to put their hearts into it and criticize them forever if they don’t.

That being said, your profiles are hilarious.

By: Hans

Hans — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:46:03 +0000

Bullshit, every “Germanic” nation in the tournament has more foreign players than Germany. Oh and take a look at “France”, it’s nothing but an all-African team. I don’t know why Germany is the only team which isn’t allowed to have national team players with some foreign ancestors.

By: ImmanuelKant

ImmanuelKant — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:21:57 +0000

Opperput:

How sadly mendacious your comment is …

Klose’s father, born in 1947, may have “Jozef Kloze” in his passport.

B u t : He is a “Josef Klose” !!!

Why ?

Because way back then the German minority in once purely German-dominated “S c h l e s i e n” (Home of many German world-famous poets, artists, scientists, etc. etc. – as many as the whole Polish nation cannot amass)…

( = German land for several hundred years but donated to Poles as a compensation for what Stalin stole from them in the east)

… was oppressed (i.e. those who had managed to stay in contrast to those who were subjected to what is nowadays known as “ethnic cleansing”)
and forced to polonize their names.

They were – under threat of prosecution – not even allowed to speak their native (= German) tongue in the open. Truly an easy way to make a “Josef” into a “Jozef” and a “Klose” into a “Kloze”.

A pitiful bunch of forgers indeed.

You folks were really treated cruelly, unjustly, inhumanly by the Nazi-Germans. No doubt. I fully subscribe to that. It continues to bite my soul.

But unfortunately you all-too-often take unfair advantage of this circumstance. And I am witnessing that most non-German ( and of course non-Polish) Europeans see it that way.

There are still too many Kaczczczinskis around.

You are the masters of over-self-victimization, of egocentric self-pity – and have been so for many decades. Honestly. Understandable in the context of your history.

BUT THEN AGAIN IT IS REALLY GETTING ON EVERYBODY’S NERVES SOMETIMES – NOW MORE AND MORE.

Commenting your ethnic percentage games:

Why on earth do you think those families chose Germany as a better alternative to Poland ?
Any idea? Because Poland is the non-plus-ultra of fatherlands ?

Why do you think so many people who have emigrated to the US, happy to be immersed into the so-called melting pot, confess to their new identity? Would you still argue US citizens of Irish, Nicaraguan, Bangladeshi etc. origin are actually still, or should rightfully be considered as, Irishmen, Nicaraguans, Bangladeshis ?

Polish your thinking, mate.

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:58:51 +0000

ursus: In Austria. I’m not disagreeing with our overall statement – I chose to leave Switzerland for a reason. It’s interesting nevertheless that secondos from Italy, Spain, African nations and even France seem to have no problem making that decision. While the majority from former Yugoslav countries do.
Anyhow. They made their decision. Would have been good to have them – especially Petric. But now we have to deal with what we have…meaning, we have to play boring defensive football. So, the next time you are bored watching Switzerland play, blame Petric and Rakitic. Hahahaha.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:37:26 +0000

Fantastic discussion! I am tired of people accusing the French of poaching players from Africa and all. The only difference between our players and these German players is the German players are indistinguishably white, and the names are somewhat German sounding so it’s inconspicuous (Mario Gomez is a glaring exception, of course.) All of France’s players are completely legitimate Frenchmen, they know nothing of life outside of France, except maybe when they were young children. Other teams have glaring abuses though: Portugal have Deco, who is a pure Brazilian, the Croats have one too, and others as well.

Allez les Bleus!!!

By: ursus arctos

ursus arctos — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:36:12 +0000

I’m talking about an overall environment that they (and more importantly, perhaps, their families) may well perceive as unwelcoming even if they have citizenship.

And while you’re right that anti-immigration parties exist virtually everywhere, I can’t think of any Western European country in which a Blocher-like party got as much as 30% of the vote for Parliament.

Just to be clear, I’m not having a go at Switzerland per se; I was just trying to propose one reason why these players may have chosen to play for another country.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:32:51 +0000

Gaah, Podolski and Klose. Sigh :/

By: Adrian

Adrian — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:10:55 +0000

Ursus: What are you talking about? They all have Swiss nationality – otherwise, that wouldn’t be a discussion. More than half of the team has non-Swiss roots: Cabanas, Berahmi, Yakin, Vonlanthen, Senderos, Barnetta, N’Koufo, Inler, Fernandez…are the first who come to mind. The question is more, why people like Petric don’t want to represent the country that gave them shelter from war, an education and economic safety.
Idiots like Blocher have a strong follwoing in every single country in Europe.