Jérôme Boateng on racism in Germany: "There are places I would not let my daughters under any circumstances"

He was racially insulted, insulted and spiteful in his career. As a child, but today he still has to suffer. This is what German football international Jérôme Boateng tells in the magazine named after him "Boa", which will be released on Saturday for the first time.

"When I warm up at the edge of the pitch, I often hear people shouting monkey sounds from the stands, even though I've played so many games for Germany," Boateng said in a double interview in which the 30-year-old co-starred with Herbert Grönemeyer above all answered questions about the social mood in Germany.

The country is fighting with it, says Boateng. The refugee crisis in Europe is still much discussed in his circle of friends and colleagues. "Again and again we come up with the same topic: what do we do with the many people who come to us and what are the consequences?"

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He senses that many people are putting their fellow citizens in the limelight again: "One for the Germans, one for the migrants, and the Germans, whose parents may have foreign roots and are not white, but feel completely German because they are here grow up, are looked at again skeptical. "

He thought it was a shame that you would see in news again and again rushing groups. The society is much more open. "Many people experience every day in the sports club or at work, what a win it is, that we are such a colorful country and winning the 2014 World Cup would not have been possible without all the players of such diverse backgrounds."

"With a different skin color you always have something to fear there"

He had suffered racism again and again as a child and adolescent. In some games in Marzahn or in Leipzig, the parents of the opposing team spit on him and teammates. "Some of us were only ten years old, I still remember a cup match at the Köpenicker SC When the father of an opponent came to our side, he insulted me all the time." At some point I started howling. "

Today he no longer feels a sting, says Boateng. "It was brutal when I was younger, my parents did not talk to me about my skin color for a long time, it was not an issue, then somebody suddenly called 'Hey, my little nigger' and my parents told me that some People have problems with my skin color, I could not believe it, it makes no sense to a child. "

In fact, athletes like him had long been vaccinated: better say nothing, do not offend, rather focus on the sport. "But when right-wing slogans reach the heart of society, everyone should get up and take their stand, we players get a lot of attention, and in recent years I have become more and more aware that I am also an ambassador to many people, at least since my neighbor History ... ", Boateng said, referring to the statement of AfD politician Alexander Gauland, who said:" People think he is good as a football player, but they do not want to have a Boateng as a neighbor. "

Clear words to Özil

"I know, many of you think I have a good talk, as a professional footballer I'm in a luxurious situation, but I'm also wondering in which country my three kids will grow up."

His twin daughters had no experience of racism. "You are seven years old, and soon I will have to talk to you about the subject." There are places in Germany where he would not let his daughters go on a class trip to the districts of Marzahn or Weissensee in Berlin - "with a different skin color you always have something to fear there".

Also to Mesut Özil expresses Boateng. The midfielder had posed shortly before the World Cup together with the pros Ilkay Gündogan and Cenk Tosun for a photo with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and had been strongly criticized. At the end of July, a few weeks after the historic start of the World Cup, Özil had announced that he no longer wanted to play for the German national team.

Özil complained in his statement, in the eyes of DFB President Reinhard Grindel and his supporters, he was a German, if the team win, but a migrant, if she loses. He has less to suffer from this double assessment, says Boateng in an interview. But he noticed that, especially with Turkish-born players "many fans and media comment much more critical than other players".

It was my pleasure Abi // It was a pleasure Abi @ MesutOzil1088 # u21europeanchampion2009 # worldchampion2014 pic.twitter.com/NF1uz8sUiK

After Özil's resignation, there had been little reaction from the side of the national team, Boateng tweeted as the first player to: "It was a pleasure, Abi." He did not address the political context of Özil. When asked why the German national team for Özil and Gündogan has not taken a similar action, as the Swedish team for the racially offended Jimmy Durmaz, says Boateng. "What the Swedes did was really strong, and that gave me goosebumps, and many others in our team found that great." A debate about starting a similar action did not exist. "Unfortunately, and then we played again." Only after the tournament did he realize "that we could have done much more for Mesut in the team, it is a pity that this did not happen".

Why it was so, explains Boateng not. The interviewer Stephan Seiler, who is also editor-in-chief of "Boa", does not ask. Even at the point of the interview, at the Boateng speaks of the fact that the national team after Özil's resignation "got a completely different image missed", questions remain unanswered. An attack on the DFB? The sponsors? The media? That has not been deepened.