Germany's leading Jewish organization has called for an Iranian-born player to be dropped from Germany's under-21 national soccer team for withdrawing from an upcoming match against Israel.
Ashkan Dejagah, 21, who plays for Bundesliga club VfB Wolfsburg, asked national team managers to allow him to withdraw from Germany's European Championship qualifier against Israel, to be played in Tel Aviv on Friday.
He cited "personal reasons" for his decision, the German Football Association (DFB) said Monday. But the tabloid daily Bild quoted him as saying his motive was political. "He came to us citing personal reasons that seemed very plausible," DFB spokesman Jens Grittner said.
On Tuesday, the Central Council of Jews in Germany condemned the DFB's decision to accept Dejagah's request and demanded that the player be sanctioned.
"It would be an affront to silently tolerate this behavior," Council President Charlotte Knobloch said in a statement. "I therefore expect that the DFB will exclude the player from the German national team."
Dejagah, who is considered one of his club's star players, told Bild that his decision to withdraw from the match "has political reasons. Everyone knows that I am German-Iranian." He was born in Tehran, but later moved with his parents to Germany and holds a German passport.
In a subsequent interview Monday with the tabloid B.Z., Dejagah insisted: "I have nothing against Israel, but I fear I would have trouble entering Iran later."
Dejagah's father has been quoted as saying that his son had not yet decided whether to play for Iran or Germany when he leaves the under-21s. Dejagah's elder brother plays for Iran.
The player also attributed his decision to respect for his parents. "They are both Iranian, and the blood that flows in my veins is more Iranian than German," he said.
His withdrawal stirred controversy in Germany.
Germany coach Joachim Loew said he was disappointed Dejagah had withdrawn, telling German newspaper Die Welt "I'm aware of the political problem, but I would have hoped and expected that the player would have made a different decision."
Bild, Germany's best-selling paper, called for his exclusion from the national team. So did Friedbert Pflueger, a prominent member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party.
"This is intolerable," Pflueger said. "Soon, each person will decide who he wants to play against and who he doesn't want to play against. If a player has political objections, he can no longer play with the team."
Central Council of Jews vice president Dieter Graumann told Spiegel Onlineon on Monday that, "It is unacceptable and untenable for one player to initiate a private boycott of Jews... It would be scandalous if the DFB fails to punish this behavior."
In 2004, Iranian striker Vahid Hashemian was pulled from Bayern Munich's roster for a Champions League game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Although Bayern cited a back injury as the reason for Hashemian's withdrawal, Iran's national sporting body had opposed the planned visit.
