German Economics Minister Robert Habeck said the 2024 European Championship in Germany is a moment for the nation to “reward” itself after “four very difficult years.”
“Germany is ready. (European Championship 2024) It is a moment to reward ourselves and look ahead. We have had four very difficult years in Germany. Covid-19, the energy and economic crisis caused by the Russian war (against Ukraine),” Habeck told sports magazine Kicker in an interview.
“The tournament is taking place at a time when, economically speaking, we have to say: we still have many challenges, but we have under control the biggest challenges of the last two years,” he said.
He added that the country deserves to have “four great weeks” during the European Championship and that he hopes people will be happy again “whether that leads to 0.1% more (economic) growth or now.”
Habeck also criticized a controversial survey conducted shortly before the tournament, which found that one in five Germans would prefer to see more white players in the German national team.
“How should someone feel when they give everything for their country and are still told they don’t belong here because they have the wrong skin color? That’s called racism, and far too many people experience it in their daily lives,” he says. said.
In the survey conducted by Infratest dimap on behalf of the broadcasters WDR for the documentary “Unity and Justice and Diversity”, 21% of respondents said they would prefer to see more white players in the German national team.
The German 26-man squad for the European Championship consists of a number of players with a migration background.
The investigation was conducted because the producers were confronted with racist statements about the national team during filming for the documentary, WDR previously explained.
