Mats Hummels made a clear statement on Tuesday at the press conference in the run-up to the European Championship match between Germany and Hungary. The centre-back appeared at the press conference in a colorful shirt that read ‘Love Unites’. With the statement, Hummels openly speaks out against the controversial and recently passed Hungarian law that prohibits ‘promoting’ homosexuality and changing sex among young people up to the age of eighteen.
“It is the small gestures that are a step in the right direction,” Hummels told the press conference, which discussed, among other things, the fact that the Allianz Arena should not be covered in rainbow colors as a protest against the controversial Hungarian law. Munich had submitted a request to UEFA to give the stadium the rainbow colors once, but the organizer of the European Championship, to Hummels’ disappointment, gave zero on the claim.
Mats Hummels makes a statement at the press conference for the game between Germany and Hungary. He is wearing a shirt that reads “Love Unites”. ?? #GERHUN pic.twitter.com/LPvhBAKdzP
— Banana Flank (@Bundesliga81) June 22, 2021
“I think I can say that without a committee being sent to me”, Hummels expressed his disappointment. “It has been a long time since openness and tolerance are experienced as a normal fact in the sports world. Small gestures and signs can be the right steps towards normalization.” Hummels is not the first German to make himself heard during the European Championship. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer also appeared on the field with the captain’s armband in rainbow colors.
Earlier in the day it also became clear that the the Dutch will come up with a statement against the law. Georginio Wijnaldum will wear a special OneLove captain’s armband during the eighth finals of the European Championship in Budapest next Sunday. With the captain’s armband, the Dutch national team wants to emphasize in the words of Wijnaldum that the players stand for ‘inclusiveness and connection’.
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