German World Cup winner and TV pundit Bastian Schweinsteiger on Friday rejected claims that his comments about African football were racist, saying he was merely providing an analysis of a playing style, with the German state broadcaster backing him.
Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae had said on Thursday that Schweinsteiger’s comments, in which he called African football «wild» and «unorthodox», could be labeled as racist.
“I was talking about football, not about people,” Schweinsteiger said in a statement via the broadcaster ARD Unpleasant Reuters. «This is a football analysis, nothing more and nothing less. It was certainly not my intention to offend anyone.» Schweinsteiger, winner of the 2014 World Cup with Germany, is a World Cup expert for ARD.
Last week, before Germany defeated Ivory Coast in the second Group E match in Toronto, he said Germany had to “be prepared that it would be unpredictable at times”.
He said Ivory Coast played «African football,» which he characterized as «sometimes a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, not so tactical.»
“Bastian Schweinsteiger commented on his expectations regarding the playing style of the Ivory Coast team and summarized his experiences and observations from recent matches,” he said. ARD Sports coordinator Axel Balkausky in the statement.
«The discussion was about a football assessment, not about the people themselves. I cannot detect any form of racism in his comments or his choice of words.»
«If Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae were to speak directly to Bastian, I am sure his suspicions would be allayed in no time. Perhaps such an opportunity will present itself later in the tournament,» he said.
Ivory Coast coach expresses his disappointment
Asked for comment after Ivory Coast won 2-0 against Curacao on Thursday to finish second behind Germany and advance to the last 32 at the World Cup, Fae told reporters he was disappointed by Schweinsteiger’s comments.
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“If you know football the way he knows it, it’s strange that he talks that way… which we could call racist if we called everything fair,” Fae said. “But that’s the way it is. Today we live in a world where everyone is free to say what he or she thinks.
«I can’t change his perspective. I can’t change the way he talks. But all I can do is show on the pitch that Africa is not just the physical game. We are also very technical and very tactical.»
«He was a global star but is a bit forgotten, so he’s trying to create a buzz. Good for him, if that’s what he thinks. He’s free to do that. But we’ll move on and we’ll try to ignore that,» Fae added.
Published on June 26, 2026
