The coach of the German football team, Julian Nagelsmann, is appalled by a recent poll in that country, the host of the upcoming European Football Championship, in which participants were asked if they wanted to see more white players in the national team.
According to a poll by ARD Television, 21 percent of respondents said they would like more white soccer players in the national soccer team.
"It's racist. I think it's time to wake up. Many people in Europe had to flee ... in search of a safe country," Nagelsman said on Sunday.
The 36-year-old said he shares the view of midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who a day earlier described the poll as "racist".
"Josh [Kimich] described it beautifully and his statement was clear and thoughtful," Nagelsmann said at a press conference at the German national team camp.
"I see the survey the same way he does, the question asked in it is completely insane."
"There are people in Europe who had to flee because of war, economic factors, environmental disasters," he continued.
"We have to ask ourselves what are we doing at this moment? We in Germany are doing very, very well... and it's crazy that we turn a blind eye to things like this and just switch off."
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Germany's public broadcaster ARD said it had commissioned research to have reliable data, after a reporter working on a documentary on football and diversity was repeatedly asked about the composition of the national team.
The survey was conducted among 1.304 randomly selected respondents.
Karl Valks, sports director of ARD, which commissioned the poll, said the company was "surprised that the results are the way they are, but they are also an expression of the social situation in Germany today".
"Sport plays an important role in our society, the national team is a strong example of integration," German media quoted him as saying.
The current German national team, and some previous ones, have a large number of players with mixed heritage, including captain Ilkan Gundogan and winger Leroy Sane.
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Germany hosts the 2024 European Championship from June 14 to July 14, and Nagelsmann said his team will play "for everyone in the country".
Germany will open the tournament with a match against Scotland on Friday, June 14 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
The controversy comes just weeks after famous sports equipment manufacturer Adidas pulled Germany's number 44 soccer jerseys from sale after the media pointed out their similarity to the symbol used by the notorious Nazi SS units of World War II.
The SS was responsible for many crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis.
Members of the SS held various high and responsible positions in the German army, from the Gestapo, the secret police, to the guards of the concentration camps where millions of people of various nationalities lost their lives.
Watch the video: Writer and translator Ivan Ivanji for the BBC about the horrors of the German camps
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