German Soccer Coach Condemns Poll That Asked If National Team Has Enough White Players Ahead Of Euros

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Julian Nagelsmann, head coach of the German national soccer team, has publicly condemned what could be one of the more ridiculous polls the sports world has ever seen.

A poll conducted by German public broadcaster ARD asked if the national team had enough white players on the roster. The poll found that 1,304 (21%) of randomly selected respondents wanted more white players on the national team for Euro 2024, which is set to be hosted in Germany beginning on June 14.

Joshua Kimmich, a star player on the national team, described the poll as racist and Nagelsmann did the same the next day.

"I see this in exactly the same way. This question is insane," Nagelsmann said.

"There are people in Europe who’ve had to flee because of war, economic factors, environmental disasters, people who simply want to be taken in.

"We have to ask what are we doing at the moment? We in Germany are doing very, very well, and when we say something like that, I think it’s crazy how we turn a blind eye and simply block out such things," Nagelsmann continued.

READ: Germany Redesigning The Number Four On National Soccer Jerseys Amid Claims It Resembles Nazi Logo

A poll conducted in Germany asked surveyors if there were enough white players on the national soccer team ahead of Euro 2024.(Photo by Kevin Voigt/Getty Images)

German Soccer Poll Asks Clearly Racist Questions

While the question about having enough white players on the team was by far and away the most egregious, another question asked respondents if it was "a pity that the current captain of the German national team has Turkish roots." Ilkay Gundogan, who plays for Barcelona at the club level, is the team's captain and was born in Germany to Turkish parents.

"When you consider that we are facing a home European Championship, it is absurd to ask such a question when it is actually about uniting the entire country," Kimmich said.

According to the BBC, ARD stated it commissioned the survey after one of its reporters was repeatedly asked about the team while producing a documentary about diversity in the sport, and it wanted to have measurable data.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.