Germany’s Iranian-born soccer star Ashkan Dejagah has been making headlines these days, but it’s not because of his spectacular plays on the pitch. Earlier this week, Dejagah reportedly refused to take part in an October 12 game against Israel in Tel Aviv.
The 21-year-old, who plays for Bundesliga club VfB Wolfsburg, told the German Football Association that his reasons for withdrawing from the match were “personal,” Ha’aretz reported, but then told the daily tabloid Bild that his withdrawal was a political decision.
In a later interview with the tabloid BZ, Dejagah seemed to be backtracking, saying, “I have nothing against Israel, but I fear I would have trouble entering Iran later.” Dejagah’s comments were met with fury in Germany, and the Central Council of Jews in Germany called on the team to punish the player.
The Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, the Forward requires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, the Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.
To post a comment, click to login:
Copyright © 2012, Forward Association, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dejagah is afraid that there will be repercussions against his family in Iran. He's afraid of the President of Iran. Aren't we all? I can't blame him for caring about more about his family than politics, but he should no longer play for Germany. If my family was in Iran, I'd be scared too. Don't blame Dejagah, blame Iran. Iran could solve the problem easily by promising that there would be no repercussions, but they haven't.