The vice-president of the German Football Association (DFB) and president of the St. Pauli club, Oke Göttlich, sees that the moment is to “consider and seriously debate” a boycott of the World Cup in the United States. The statements were given to the German newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost in the wake of threats by American President Donald Trump against Greenland and threats of new tariffs on European Union countries.

“I really wonder when the moment will come to consider and seriously debate about this. For me, that moment has definitely arrived,” he told the newspaper.

Last week, Trump backed down after a series of threats to annex Greenland to the American territory for months. On Thursday (22), the president said he had secured “full access” and “permanent presence” in the Danish autonomous territory.

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For Göttlich, confederations should take as example previous boycott cases, such as the one promoted by the United States itself at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, after the invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union in 1979. In 1984, it was the USSR’s turn not to participate in the Games held in Los Angeles.

“What were the justifications for the Olympic boycotts in the 1980s? In my opinion, the potential threat today is greater than at that time. We need to have this discussion,” Göttlich said.

Of the 104 World Cup matches this year, 78 will be hosted in the United States, while Mexico and Canada divide the remaining matches. The tournament will take place between June and July and, for the first time, will be contested by 48 teams.

Göttlich recalled other recent cases in which politics and football mixed. “Qatar was too political for everyone and now we are completely apolitical? That really bothers me,” he said.

“As organizations and as a society, we are forgetting to set boundaries and defend values. Taboos are an essential part of that. When are they crossed?” he questioned the vice-president. “I would like to know from Donald Trump when he will reach his limit, and I would like to hear from [Bernd Neuendorf, president of the DFB] and [Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA].”