Transphobic attitudes?: BVB and DFB and the problem with Nmecha

Anti-trans attitudes?
BVB and DFB and the problem with Nmecha

06/13/2023 1:51 p.m

Felix Nmecha shares transphobic views on his Instagram account several times. The footballer himself denies having a homophobic attitude. The DFB wants to talk to him again. BVB is also struggling with a transfer.

Central midfielders are currently extremely popular in German football. Runner-up Borussia Dortmund is looking for a successor for the recently transferred Jew Bellingham. Even with the DFB team, national coach Hansi Flick has not yet found the optimal position in front of the defense. When it comes to German talent in this area, the name Felix Nmecha from VfL Wolfsburg, the younger brother of attacker Lukas Nmecha, comes up again and again.

Felix Nmecha made his national team debut last March in the 3-2 defeat by Belgium. The national coach substituted him for Leon Goretzka there, and the 22-year-old then played a solid game. But he will probably not be called up for the DFB team anytime soon. This has not only to do with his bruise, because of which he canceled the current international hat-trick (Ukraine, Poland, Colombia). As the “Bild” newspaper reports, the DFB first wants to talk to Nmecha and VfL Wolfsburg before inviting the midfielder back. And find out what attitudes the one-time national player actually represents.

But what is it? Nmecha is considered a devout Christian. At the beginning of the Pride month of June, he shared a video of an account called “Reformedbychrist” on Instagram. In the short article, the term “pride” is assigned to the devil. It wasn’t the first time Nmecha shared such homophobic attitudes. In February he shared a video of US right-wing populist Matt Walsh, who repeatedly flaunts his transphobia and rejection of LGBTQ rights.

But all of this contradicts what the DFB wants to stand for. In the Code of Ethics It says, for example: “We respect and promote this diversity on and off the pitch and do not tolerate any discrimination, harassment or insults, whether on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, skin color, religion, age, disability or sexual orientation.”

Nmecha: “I love all people”

Nmecha himself had denied allegations of being homophobic in April. “I definitely don’t hate anyone, I love everyone,” he said to the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” at the time. He regrets having shared Walsh’s post, “mainly because I don’t know if he’s a Christian,” said the still-Wolfsburger. “I don’t agree with the way he conveys his beliefs, nor do I agree with everything he says.”

Now the German national team is not the only team interested in Nmecha. BVB is also looking for a successor to Bellingham, who is moving to Real Madrid for more than 100 million euros. According to reports, Nmecha is also seen there as a possible alternative. In the room is therefore a fee between 15 and 20 million euros – a comparatively low price for such a talented player.

Against this background, numerous BVB fans had expressed their displeasure when the transfer rumors became known. They referred to it several times Code of Core Values of the runner-up, in which reference is made to “a club life and a society without racism, anti-Semitism, LGBTI+ hostility (the German term for the community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and intersex people and all those who feel part of this abbreviation, Editor’s note), sexism, violence and discrimination”.

As the “Bild” newspaper reports, BVB is still interested in a transfer. According to the report, the Dortmund executive floor around sports director Sebastian Kehl has already dealt intensively with the allegations against Nmecha. You don’t want to prejudice the 22-year-old. Instead, in a personal conversation, as with the DFB, it should be checked whether there are homophobic tendencies at Nmecha. In this case, BVB wants to leave the option open to refrain from an obligation.