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Former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger has refuted claims that his remarks about African football at the World Cup were racist. The 2014 World Cup winner, now a leading expert for German television channel ARD, faced criticism from Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé for comments made during Saturday's match between the "Elephants" and Germany.
Schweinsteiger described Ivory Coast's style as "a bit unconventional at times, slightly wild and not so tactically disciplined. We need to be prepared for it to be unpredictable."
After the Ivory Coast coach stated that this comment "could be called racist," Schweinsteiger responded in a statement to ARD.
"I spoke about football, not about people. This is football analysis. Nothing more, nothing less. I certainly did not intend to offend anyone," Schweinsteiger said.
ARD's Head of Sport, Axel Balkausky, also defended his expert.
"Bastian Schweinsteiger was discussing his expectations regarding the playing style of the Ivory Coast team. In doing so, he summarized his experience and observations from recent matches. I cannot find any form of racism in this, nor in his choice of words. If Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé had spoken directly with Bastian, his suspicions would have been dispelled in no time – I am sure of that," he stated.
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