Bayern Munich midfielder and German international Leon Goretzka said former Qatar player Khalid Salman was “from another millennium” in regards to his controversial comments surrounding homosexuality.
The Gulf state is just weeks away from hosting the 2022 World Cup but several competing players and nations, including the Socceroos, have protested or will protest Qatar’s strong stance against the LGBTIQ+ community.
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Salman sparked outrage when during an interview with German broadcaster ZDF when the midfielder, who was also acting in the capacity of an official World Cup ambassador, made the shocking comments before the chat was halted.
“They have to accept our rules here,” Salman said.
“[Homosexuality] is haram (forbidden). You know what haram means?”
When pressed as to why homosexuality is haram, Salman responded: “I am not a strict Muslim but why is it haram? Because it is damage in the mind.”
The comments were met with fury across Germany, with Bayern Munich fans unfurling a banner in protest at Salman’s views during their 6-1 win over Werder Bremen on Wednesday.
And in a post-match interview, Goretzka took aim at what Salman had to say.
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“It’s very oppressive,” Goretzka said.
“This is an image of a man that comes from another millennium.
“It leaves you speechless that something like this can be said by a World Cup ambassador shortly before a World Cup.”
German Minister for Sport Nancy Faeser also condemned Salman’s comments, branding them as “awful”.
“Of course such comments are awful and that is also the reason why we are working to hopefully improve things in Qatar in the future,” Faeser said.
Salman’s claim comes almost two weeks after the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was slammed for instructing gay fans travelling to the World Cup to “be respectful of the host nation”.
“I have spoken to the Qatari authorities in the past about gay football fans going to watch the World Cup and how they will treat our fans and international fans,” Cleverly said.
“They want to make sure that football fans are safe, secure and enjoy themselves. And they know that that means they are going to have to make some compromises in terms of what is an Islamic country with a very different set of cultural norms to our own.
“One of the things I would say for football fans is, you know, please do be respectful of the host nation.
“They are trying to ensure that people can be themselves and enjoy the football, and I think with a little bit of flex and compromise at both ends, it can be a safe, secure and exciting World Cup.”
