German head coach Julian Nagelsmann has condemned as "racist" a recent survey that asked participants if they wanted to see more white players on the national football team.
Many people in Europe had to flee.. searching for a safe country," Nagelsmann said on Sunday.The 36-year-old said he agreed with Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who described the questionnaire as "racist" a day earlier.
"ARD - the German public broadcaster - said it had commissioned the survey to have measurable data, after a reporter working on a documentary on football and diversity was repeatedly asked about the make-up of the national team.
"Sport plays an important role in our society, the national team is a strong example of integration," German media cited him as saying.
The current national squad has a number of players with mixed heritage, including captain Ilkay Gündogan and winger Leroy Sané.
The controversy comes just weeks after the team's kit manufacturer, Adidas, was forced to ban fans from buying German football kits customised with the number 44, after media raised their resemblance to the symbol used by World War Two-era Nazi SS units.The SS was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis.
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