“Playing in a city where there is unrest and people have been shot does not fit with our values here at Werder Bremen,” club communications head Christoph Pieper said in a statement. to Politics.
“In addition, it was unclear to us which players could enter the United States due to the stricter entry requirements,” he added.
The four-time German champions – ranked third in the all-time Bundesliga results – have team members from Europe, Japan, Argentina and Nigeria.
“We as a club have clear values,” says Pieper. “Our club stands for an open, pluralistic and united society. We want to ensure that all people – regardless of their origin, skin color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability – are naturally included and have a permanent place in our community.”
In 2024, the club dumped the X, owned by Elon Musk for Blueskyciting the increase in “hate speech, hatred of minorities, right-wing extremist posts and conspiracy theories” on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The US will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
Todd Lyons, acting chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, earlier this month said ICE would be “an important part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup.”
