Germans are divided. Can Euro 2024 unite them? - podcast

The last time Germany hosted a major football tournament was the World Cup in 2006. With a multicultural team that won the nation’s hearts, for many it felt as though a new, more open sense of German patriotism was being formed.

Fast forward to 2024 and, with an economy that slipped into recession last year, things feel very different. Last month there were big gains in the European elections for the far-right AfD party – whose popularity withstood some worrying and well-publicised scandals.

Philip Oltermann tells Helen Pidd about Germany’s complicated relationship with having a multicultural football team. How in previous years famous footballers of colour have said they are only considered German when they win. And how a recent poll for a documentary made by the German public broadcaster sent shockwaves through the country when 21% of respondents said they would prefer to see more white players in the national team. But could a successful showing in the Euros help heal these troubles once more and bring the country closer?