Football daft I

Mesut Ozil

German pride

Alan Fisher

On the small football pitch marked out in a quiet suburb of Berlin, the latest match is under way. As the boys play and pass, there's running commentary from them, imagining for a moment they are the heroes they have been following in the World Cup. In years gone by, the boys would have dreamed of being Jurgen Klinsmann or Lothar Matthaus or even the 'Kaiser' himself, the imperious Franz Beckenbauer. The names are different now. This generation want to be Ozil, Caucau or Podolski.
     For more than 80 years, the rules about who could represent Germany were clear and strict. Players had to be German-born of parents also born in Germany. But that law was scrapped in 1999, laying the foundation for the current squad – dubbed the 'M generation' by the German media, for multi-cultural. Half the current squad were either born outside Germany, are the sons of immigrants or have one non-German parent. In a country which has never considered itself a land of immigration – which called foreigners 'guest workers' believing they would leave at some point – it's a dramatic transformation.
     The emerging star is Mesut Ozil. Born in Germany to Turkish immigrant parents, he opted to play for the land of his birth rather than Turkey. For Mehmet Matur his performance and acceptance is a source of pride. A Turk himself, he's now heavily involved in integration programmes for the German Football Association. At his sports shop in a Berlin suburb where many Turks live he sees the changes: 'They are flying German flags, which is new. You have children coming into the store. Six months ago they wanted boots like Cristiano Ronaldo, today it is Ozil.' He can't help smiling as he says it.
    'There are players now like Kedera or Ozil. They are idols for the youth and the German majority adores them as heroes. It makes the people living here from ethnic minorities proud and they know they can reach the same position. That's also good for reducing prejudices. For society it's an opening.'
     Some right-wing websites dismiss the 'foreign' element in the German team, longing for days when, as they see it 'pure Germans' won the World Cup in 1954, 1974 and again in 1990. But this is a minority view. The public squares around Germany have been packed as people follow the nation's advance through the tournament on big screens.
     Psychologist Peter Walschburger from Berlin's Free University has studied the link between football and society: 'We have integration difficulties that are made of prejudices concerning foreign cultures. That's because there is no concrete emotional experience. Football is emotional and now half of our national team looks foreign, have foreign names, cultures and religions, and play together. So people who are watching it lose their fear. It's a social example for unity in diversity.'
     But for most of the fans, as they watch, it's about winning. And the influx from other cultures has made this German side much more exciting and dynamic. With a semi-final now looming, many believe they are about to write a new chapter in German sporting history.
 

Alan Fisher is an Al Jazeera correspondent