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A member of the German Football Association’s executive committee has called for the nation to boycott the upcoming FIFA World Cup in response to recent actions by President Donald Trump.
President of Bundesliga club St. Pauli Oke Göttlich, who is one of the German federation’s 10 vice-presidents, said in an interview with the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper 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 was the rationale for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s? In my assessment, the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion,” Göttlich said.
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Göttlich continued to refer to the political talks surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, calling out FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is considered a close ally of Trump.
“Qatar was too political for everyone and now we’re completely apolitical? That’s something that really, really, really bothers me,” Göttlich added.
“As organizations and societies, we forget how to set taboos and boundaries and how to defend values. Taboos are an essential part of our attitude. Is a taboo crossed when someone threatens? Is a taboo crossed when someone attacks? When people die? I want to know from Donald Trump when he has reached his taboo, and I want to know from Gia Berndnni Neuenfantino.”
Göttlich also rejected the suggestion that a boycott would harm St. Pauli’s national team players, Australian Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe, and Japan’s Joel Chima Fujita.
“A professional player’s life is not worth more than the lives of countless people in different regions who are directly or indirectly attacked or threatened by the World Cup host,” he said.
Meanwhile, France’s sports minister questioned whether the country would consider boycotting the 2026 FIFA World Cup in response to the US’s recent “framework agreement” for control of part of Greenland.
French Sports, Youth and Community Affairs Minister Marina Ferrari told reporters this week that the country had “no desire” to skip the cup, which takes place in North America this year.
“As it stands now, there is no desire from the ministry for a boycott of this major competition,” Ferrari said. “Now I don’t want to predict what might happen, but I’ve also heard voices raised from certain political blocs. I’m someone who believes in keeping sports separate [from politics]. The World Cup is an extremely important moment for those who love sports.”
FRANCE SAYS IT HAS ‘NO WISH’ TO BOYCOTT WC AMID US-GREENLAND ‘FRAME’ DEAL
United States 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 (Emilee Chinn/FIFA via Getty Images)
French left-wing politician Éric Coquerel has called for the US to be stripped of World Cup hosting rights and has proposed a boycott of France.
“Seriously, you imagine having to play the World Cup in a country that attacks its ‘neighbors’, threatens to invade Greenland and rides roughshod over international law?” Coquerel told reporters.
Trump announced on Truth Social Wednesday that framework for an agreement is made so that the US can gain control over parts of Greenland.
“Based on a very productive meeting that I had with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future agreement with respect to Greenland and indeed the entire Arctic region,” he wrote.
“This solution, if implemented, will be a great solution for the United States and all NATO nations,” Trump wrote in the post. “Based on this understanding, I will not impose the tariffs that were planned to take effect on February 1. Further discussions are underway on the Golden Dome as it relates to Greenland.”
Despite similar calls for sanctions in response to Trump’s foreign policy, the US has not been punished by any major sports body for its recent intervention in Venezuela either.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to calls to bar the United States and its athletes from the upcoming Winter Olympics because of the intervention in Venezuela. The committee ruled out any punishment for the United States
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United States 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 (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 developments in the world,” the IOC said in a statement to Pakinomist Digital.
“The ability to bring athletes together, regardless of where they come from, is fundamental to the future of value-based, truly global sport that can give hope to the world. For this reason, the IOC cannot get directly involved in political affairs or conflicts between countries, as these fall outside our remit. This is the realm of politics.”
