Tuesday, October 26, 2021
New scandal in England?
The worldwide vaccination debate madness
By Stephan Uersfeld
The pandemic always brings new twists and turns, new debates. With decreasing vaccination dynamics, increasing infection rates and normal sporting activities, the vaccination debate is moving worldwide. Germany has Kimmich, the NBA has Irving and tennis Djokovic. There is even a threat of a new scandal in the Premier League.
Different countries, different scandals. But of course: Corona. More precisely: the coronavirus vaccination. It is not only in Germany that it repeatedly overlaps the sporting events. In times of the end of the pandemic, it is certainly as normal as the debates about the lack of space in the cabins and cheering footballers on the pitch at the beginning of the pandemic, back in May 2020 when the sport was slowly coming back.
Vaccination is therefore currently the big topic in Germany, where Joshua Kimmich’s statements on the possible and as yet unexplored “long-term consequences” of coronavirus vaccination have sparked an emotional vaccination debate that extends to the highest political offices. A debate that caused hectic activity in the German club and in the German Football League. There one even saw oneself compelled, in one Q&A to “professional football and vaccinations” to explain the DFL pro-vaccination attitude and to report on the success of this attitude. After all, this has led to a vaccination rate among the players, coaches and supervisors in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 of “more than 90 percent”.
The vaccination is the topic in Australia before the upcoming Australian Open, which may have to be played without some superstars of the tennis scene. Only 65 percent of male professionals should be vaccinated and for players without vaccinations, entry before the tournament in Melbourne will be at least maximally difficult with a mandatory quarantine or impossible. The first Grand Slam tournament in 2022 might or might not take place without defending champion Novak Djokovic. That is far from clear.
Vaccination is a topic in the North American basketball league NBA. There, the case of Kyrie Irving is one of the big topics at the start of the new season. The superstar was not considered for the time being by his team, the Brooklyn Nets, due to his unclear vaccination status. Which, whether wanted or not, made him a role model for the anti-vaccination group, which is also pronounced in the USA. They stood in front of the hall before the first home game of the Nets, caused chaotic scenes and told them about it “Guardian” of their struggle for “physical self-determination and independence” and how they find themselves in Irving.
Counterfeits in the USA and England
Vaccination is a topic in the North American ice hockey league NHL. Star striker Evander Kane was suspended there for 21 games by the San Jose Sharks last week. The league pointed to a serious breach of the Covid protocols. US media reported a fake vaccination certificate that he allegedly presented to the league and his club. There is no compulsory vaccination for the current season in the NHL. However, vaccinated players are subject to far fewer restrictions. This also includes the option to enter Canada without the mandatory quarantine. His club was “extremely disappointing”, Kane spoke of taking on “responsibility” now. Very late. But good.
The vaccination is also an issue in the English Premier League, which soberly had to record in mid-October that only 68 percent of all players are fully vaccinated, but 81 percent have received at least one vaccination. The league came under pressure after the Daily Mail published a report on the lack of vaccination among professionals and the propensity of some players to use conspiracy theory. The same “Daily Mail” has now added another report and caused a new controversy.
Why we debate
According to the newspaper, four Premier League clubs have confirmed that some players have been offered fake vaccination certificates at the round price of exactly £ 1,000, i.e. around € 1,190. The fraudsters apparently wanted to benefit from the players’ skepticism about vaccinations, to whom they wanted to send two certificates to their smartphone in return for the payment. The Premier League does not want to know anything about the events and it is still unclear whether a player has accepted the tempting offer. After all, some players are said to have informed their clubs about the offer.
Different countries, different scandals. The vaccination debate always moves along with the athletes, who in the end always represent parts of the world and the respective culture. “The athlete embodies the dream of inviolability that we all cherish. And it is precisely this illusion that he destroys as a vaccinated person and also as a person in need of vaccination,” says the philosopher and bestselling author Wolfram Eilenberger in an interview with ntv.de when asked about the numerous debates around the world. “The longing for a healthy – also inviolable – body immunized against all dangers and attacks is concentrated in the athlete – and how this should ideally be imagined is precisely the vaccination question. A vaccinating athlete admits that he is not already ‘immune’.” The debate will stay with us for a while.