One of the ten vice presidents of the DFB – Germany’s football federation – believes national teams should consider a boycott of the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to the behaviors and actions of President Donald Trump.
Oke Göttlich, a member of the DFB executive committee and the president of Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli, believes ‘the time has come’ to ‘seriously consider and discuss’ a mass exodus from the tournament being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer.
In the past few weeks, Trump has openly questioned the strength of NATO, set his sights on Europe with an unprecedented attempt to take over Greenland – a territory of NATO member Denmark – and threatened to impose tariffs on eight European nations who opposed the move.
After Trump further alienated some of his closest allies and set the world on edge, Göttlich told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper that a boycott should be owed due consideration.
‘What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s?’ Göttlich said.
‘By my reckoning the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.’
FC St. Pauli president Oke Göttlich believes a boycott of the 2026 World Cup should be considered due to the recent political antagonism toward Europe from Donald Trump
The American president has threatened tariffs on European countries opposed to his desire to acquire Greenland while also openly questioning the value of NATO
The idea from Göttlich – who runs one of the most recognizably left-wing football clubs in the world – will likely meet resistance from DFB president Bernd Neuendorf as well as FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
But with recent political developments in the US coupled with criticism of the tournament – including high ticket prices and travel bans – Göttlich believes the US is deserving of scrutiny.
‘Qatar was too political for everyone and now we’re completely apolitical? That’s something that really, really, really bothers me,’ Göttlich said of the German federation’s opposition to the previous World Cup host.
‘As organizations and society, we’re forgetting how to set taboos and boundaries, and how to defend values. Taboos are an essential part of our stance.
‘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’s move for a boycott will likely receive pushback from DFB president Bernd Neuendorf (L) and FIFA president Gianni Infantino (R)
St. Pauli – located near the red light district in the city of Hamburg – has embraced invoking politics in its football.
Before its famous ‘skull and bones’ flag became a global icon for leftist politics, matches were frequented by squatters and those in the punk scene.
As for the St. Pauli squad itself, Göttlich doesn’t believe that a boycott would hurt its three routine national team players: Japan’s Joel Chima Fujita and Australia’s Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe.
‘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 World Cup host,’ he said.
