Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Jewish group wants player dropped
Germany's leading Jewish organisation has called for an Iranian-born player to be dropped from Germany's under-21 national soccer team for withdrawing from an upcoming match against Israel.Ashkan Dejagah, 21, withdrew on personal grounds from Germany's European Championships qualifier against Israel, to be played in Tel Aviv on Friday, the German Football Association (DFB) said on Monday.
But the player was quoted in Monday's edition of tabloid daily Bild as saying his decision not to play was politically motivated.
Dejagah, who plays for Bundesliga club VfB Wolfsburg, was born in Tehran, but moved to Germany with his parents. He holds both German and Iranian passports.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has refused to recognise Israel's right to exist and Iranian citizens are forbidden from travelling to Israel.
