The president of the German Football Association (DFB), Bernd Neuendorf, took a clear stand against anti-Semitism during the presentation of the Julius Hirsch Award.
“If you know our past, you cannot question the existence of the State of Israel,” Neuendorf told the media on Sunday.
He thinks it is “a shame that certain things are being rephrased here in Germany and that people are not aware of the history for which we are responsible.”
The DFB is “clearly on the side” of the Jewish community, Neuendorf emphasized.
Every year the DFB awards the Julius Hirsch Prize to clubs, institutions and individuals who use football to promote democracy, human dignity and combat anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination.
“Every entry (for the prize) is a piece of hope for us in difficult times,” said Neuendorf.
“It’s about respect, about solidarity, about everything that football should stand for. We know that this is unfortunately not the case everywhere in our society.”
