COLOGNE: Joachim Loew, the former coach of Germany’s national football team, has publicly expressed concerns regarding the safety arrangements for the upcoming World Cup. His remarks have sparked discussions about the preparedness and security measures in place for players and fans during the tournament.
“We had debates before the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and calls for a boycott before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But playing in a country that is actively at war is even more dangerous,” Löw told the Cologne Express newspaper in comments published Tuesday. “The political situation completely overshadows the tournament.”
The U.S.-and-Israeli war with Iran is ongoing, and a wave of violence followed the Mexican army’s killing of cartel chief Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” last month.
Löw, who led Germany to the World Cup title in Brazil in 2014, spoke on Monday evening at an event, focused on previous World Cups, with Rainer Bonhof, who helped West Germany win the 1974 tournament, and other World Cup winners.
