St. Pauli’s President Advocates Political Responsibility in Football

Oke Göttlich, the President of FC St. Pauli, continues to urge professional clubs to take a clear political stand. He stated, „We bear responsibility as football clubs, and that includes a responsibility for humanity. People who are anti-human have no place in our society,“ during an appearance on ZDF’s sports studio.

For many years, FC St. Pauli has been recognized as a club that strongly opposes right-wing extremism in society. Göttlich noted that this commitment connects the Hamburg club with figures like Uli Hoeneß, honorary president of Bayern Munich, and former Eintracht Frankfurt president Peter Fischer, both of whom have also taken a clear stance against right-wing extremism.

Göttlich emphasized, „Responsibility knows no end. We have a responsibility to everyone, and we must remain in dialogue with one another.“ He added that this dialogue is far more important than the divisive interactions often seen on social media and other platforms.

In his remarks, Göttlich also paid tribute to Holocaust survivor and witness Margot Friedländer, who passed away at the age of 103 on Friday. The Jewish Berlin native was transported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Nazi era. After World War II, she emigrated to the USA but returned to her homeland in her old age. Since then, she tirelessly advocated for reconciliation and against forgetting.