SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: An Iranian-German soccer player who plays for the German national Under-21 side has asked not to play against Israel in a friendly on October 12. The team has accepted his request, angering Germany's Jewish lobby.
An Iranian-born player for Germany's under-21 national soccer team has caused controversy by asking to be excused from playing a match against Israel in Tel Aviv this Friday.
Ashkan Dejagah, 21, said in a statement posted on the German Football Federation's Web site that his reasons for not playing were "of a very personal nature and have to do with my close family."
But the player had previously been quoted in Bild newspaper as saying: "There are political reasons. Everyone knows I'm a German Iranian." Dejagah has dual citizenship. Berlin newspaper B.Z. quoted him as saying: "I have more Iranian than German blood in my veins. Besides, I'm doing this out of respect. After all, my parents are Iranian." Iranian-Born German Soccer Player Refuses to Play Israel (more)
Mark Alexander
