Christian Streich always speaks clearly. The Freiburg coach is not shy about expressing his views in press conferences. Streich also commented on social and political issues when presented with the Julius Hirsch Award by the German Football Association. The SC Freiburg coach was awarded an honorary award. DFB president and jury member Bernd Neuendorf justified the award as follows: “This is someone who really has a vision and who embodies it, who again and again calls for this community spirit and social cohesion. And stands up for it credibly.”
This year’s main prize went to the Chemnitz district association Athletic Sonnenberg and the non-profit association ASA-FF, also based in Chemnitz. The DFB is commemorating the German-Jewish national football players who died in Auschwitz. Stritch was concerned about current developments. The football coach therefore called for a fight against anti-Semitism: “80 years after Auschwitz, things have gone in a direction where you have to say we need knowledge and education.”
Stritch was humble after the award: “I’m really happy I got the award, but the real work is being done elsewhere.” The Frankfurt trainer mentioned many volunteers who do integration work in clubs and projects. He himself is a person who answers the questions of journalists in press conferences.
He also held the politicians responsible. Streich, 58, expressed criticism and said, “When I hear politicians from the so-called German center talk about imported anti-Semitism, it is more than irresponsible, it is unbelievable.” A suggestion that the Muslim people living here should simply leave the country. Then there will be no anti-Semitism in us. When such things come from the middle, we come to know where we are. And this is extremely unacceptable and dangerous. It makes you worry.”
Christian Streich also showed his team a video of Robert Habach. The economics minister spoke about relations between Germany and Israel and the protection of Jewish citizens in Germany: “The speech was so extraordinary because it set things in order. In relatively simple language. And that’s important because not everyone understands every foreign word,” Stritch said in justifying the measure. He also explained foreign words to his players because “not all young people know what the Holocaust is anymore.”
