{"id":359,"date":"2026-03-30T08:48:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/359\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T08:48:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:48:26","slug":"germanys-national-team-goalkeeper-honors-christian-dobricks-coming-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/359\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany’s National Team Goalkeeper Honors Christian Dobrick’s Coming Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

The German national-team goalkeeper Oliver Baumann praised St. Pauli\u2019s U19 coach Christian Dobrick for coming out: \u201cI find it very brave. I think he deserves a lot of respect for this,\u201d said the 35-year-old TSG Hoffenheim keeper in an interview with RTL\/ntv and Stern. \u201cAnd then it\u2019s like, I think he simply has to feel comfortable in his environment and be allowed to feel comfortable, so that this should be respected, I think.\u201d <\/p>\n

When asked whether there is a problem with coming-outs in men\u2019s soccer, Baumann replied: \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s professional football that\u2019s the issue, so whether that\u2019s the reason. As I\u2019ve said, I think you should be allowed to feel comfortable with who you are. And then, personally, I don\u2019t care whether that happens in pro football or not.\u201d For a footballer, important values are one\u2019s character, one\u2019s professionalism, and how one behaves as a person.<\/p>\n

Dobrick had come out as gay on Tuesday in an interview with RTL\/ntv (TheColu.mn reported). He complained that in professional football gays are \u201cstill regarded as aliens\u201d and that there is pressure to \u201clive a heteronormative life.\u201d His conclusion: \u201cFewer gay footballers reach the top because they have to waste energy on problems that have nothing to do with the sport.\u201d The 29-year-old has been working in St. Pauli\u2019s youth system since the summer of 2025; previously he worked for Red Bull Salzburg, TSG Hoffenheim, and Holstein Kiel.<\/p>\n

Urban: Advisors Are to Blame<\/p>\n

The openly gay former youth national team player Marcus Urban explained to WDR the reasons behind the closet among many gay Bundesliga pros: \u201cThe people around you are afraid \u2014 for you, for your health, that your reputation could be damaged, that you might not be marketable anymore, because they themselves profit from it to some extent. So they advise players, \u2018Better not do it.\u2019 I think that\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christian Dobrick, U-19-Trainer beim FC St. Pauli, hat sich geoutet und den M\u00e4nnerfu\u00dfball scharf kritisiert. Warum \u00fcber Homosexualit\u00e4t im M\u00e4nnersport immer noch geschwiegen wird, erkl\u00e4rt Coach und Berater Marcus Urban in der Aktuellen Stunde.https:\/\/t.co\/9VQRFZJrZP pic.twitter.com\/H1HlOk0tO4<\/a><\/p>\n

WDR aktuell (@WDRaktuell) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\/ WDRaktuell<\/a>
| <\/p>\n

On his Instagram page, Dobrick commented on his coming out with the words: \u201cThe same coach as yesterday. Just a little lighter.\u201d He also thanked his club for listening; now he must focus on something else: \u201cNow full focus on the weekend against Dresden.\u201d<\/p>\n

View this post on Instagram<\/p>\n

Instagram
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In many comments, his step was praised. \u201cThanks for your courage. Maybe more players will dare to be true to themselves because of you,\u201d wrote one user. But there were also warnings about possible consequences: \u201cI\u2019m curious what happens when the next game arrives. In the locker room\u2026 parents\u2026 opponents. We\u2019ll see if this was a good decision. I\u2019m rooting for him,\u201d read one of the comments. (dk)<\/p>\n


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