Even a week after Joshua Kimmich announced that he would not be vaccinated against Corona, sport and politics are still discussing role model function and effects.
Berlin / Munich – Since Bayern star Joshua Kimmich publicly admitted in an interview after FC Bayern Munich’s game against TSG Hoffenheim that he did not want to be vaccinated against the corona virus because of personal concerns, there has been heated discussion in sports and the media: Some see Kimmich in a role model function and accuse the midfielder of fueling unnecessary fears, others defend the footballer with reference to his freedom of choice.
Now the debate has also reached the highest level of politics in Germany, so that even Chancellor Angela Merkel has commented on the matter: In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS), she emphasized that even professional footballers like Joshua Kimmich are not required to be vaccinated but could not understand Kimmich’s reasoning.
He spoke of “personal concerns” due to the “lack of long-term studies”. There are “very good factual arguments that are generally available for his questions and doubts,” replied Merkel, who hopes that the national player will deal with the issue more intensively.
Joshua Kimmich Has “Personal Concerns” About Vaccination: Important Public Debate
Merkel’s statement was preceded by several celebrities who had reprimanded politics, the football industry and the media for dealing with the Bayern player’s vaccination status. Most recently, the tabloid Bild quoted the angry ex-national player Lukas Podolski, who scolded: “You almost force you to get something injected into it, that’s the absurd. The pressure is increasing every day. ”In his opinion, Kimmich would be portrayed as a“ serious criminal ”.
For Bundestag President Bärbel Bas, however, the debate about the role model function of the Bayern player comes “at exactly the right time”. The football professional’s fear of possible long-term consequences, as well as the arguments for the safety of the corona vaccines, will again be discussed intensively in public and can ensure that “even more people can be convinced of a vaccination,” said the SPD politician of the Rheinische Post .
“Zero understanding” for Joshua Kimmich: Sports officials criticize Bayern star’s skepticism about vaccinations
From professional football there has recently been increased criticism of the public statement on Kimmich’s vaccination skepticism. Ex-national player Paul Breitner emphasized that the decision for or against a vaccination does not need any discussion for him personally: “For me there is only one direction to get vaccinated. And it’s not about being a role model, it’s about the individual. If he decides against it, then I have no sympathy, “said Breitner in the” Sunday Stammtisch “of BR television.
Breitner also referred to a statement that Liverpool FC coach Jürgen Klopp had made at the beginning of October in the course of the debate about unvaccinated English football professionals. Accordingly, he had accused the unvaccinated players that their decision against the vaccination was comparable to getting behind the wheel with alcohol. “He meant and perhaps could have said: Not to be vaccinated is potential, willful bodily harm,” said Breitner, who would not use unvaccinated players in his team.
Vaccination debate about Joshua Kimmich: Eintracht Frankfurt official also criticizes attitude
“I do not think the reason is good and do not consider it to be well presented in public because there is a fear that many will adopt it and complain,” said Eintracht Frankfurt board spokesman Axel Hellmann about the “personal concerns” , which Kimmich had made public, in an interview with the TV broadcaster Bild. That throws neither a good light on Kimmich himself, nor on the football industry.
In addition, Hellmann believes it is almost paradoxical that some spectators are only allowed into the stadium with a 2G status, but the 3G rule still applies to the football professionals. Nevertheless, one could not oblige the professionals: “In Germany we have the situation that the state does not require a vaccination. Working people do not have to state whether they are vaccinated or not, ”explained Hellmann. (ska / sid / dpa)
List of rubric lists: © Sven Hoppe / dpa
