Football, Islam, and Integration
The UEFA Euro 2012 is now in full swing. In our dossier, we present some of the tournament's protagonists, as well as background information on football, Islam, identity and integration policy
Soccer, Islam and Integration
Profile: Ilkay Gündogan
A Model of Successful Integration
Ilkay Gündogan is a rapidly rising star in German football. German born, but with Turkish roots, he has won the German Championship and the DFB Cup with Borussia Dortmund, has been selected for the German squad for UEFA Euro 2012, and is "Integration Ambassador" for the German Football Association. André Tucic sends us this profile More »
Germany's Team for South Africa
The Multicultural Squad
They have surnames like Marin, Özil, Cacau and Khedira, have foreign roots, and are the great hope of Germany's football fans at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Srecko Matic introduces the German squad More »
Karim Benzema
The Boy Next Door
There's no place like home – if you ask Karim Benzema, French football's diamond in the rough. He still lives at home with his parents and eight siblings and is loyal to his home team, Olympique Lyon. A portrait by André Tucic More »
Franck Bilal Ribéry
''Always Believe in God''
Franck Ribéry has never been in better shape, and there is a good chance he could be named player of the tournament at Euro 08. Yet things have not always been so rosy for Ribéry, a devout Muslim and former construction worker; not everything in his career has come easy. A portrait by André Tucic More »
The Integrative Power of Football
Those Who Score, Get to Pray to Allah
It appears as if Islam is always perceived only as a threat. Yet, when soccer players pray to Allah, it is a popularly acclaimed declaration of faith. Nonetheless, the football pitch still has a long way to go to becoming a multicultural paradise, says Claus Leggewie More »
Ibrahim Afellay
Little Big Man in a Team of Giants
Holland or Morocco, Europe or North Africa – Ibrahim Afellay had to make a tough choice. He decided on "Oranje" and is now living his dream: playing in the European Cup. André Tucic profiles the young footballer More »
Mesut Özil and Germany
A Football Hero in a National Identity Farce
As playmaker at Real Madrid, and key attack asset on the German national squad, Mesut Özil has matured into a true soccer superstar. And now the unassuming player finds himself at the centre of Germany's ongoing national identity debate. By Lewis Gropp More »
Portait of Sami Khedira
Origins are Irrelevant in Football
The professional footballer Sami Khedira holds a Tunisian and a German passport. Off the pitch, the 21-year-old midfielder from VfB Stuttgart supports integration projects. And it looks like we'll soon see him in the German kit. A portrait by André Tucic More »
Mesut Özil
The Polite Boy with the Faux-Hawk
Despite a turbulent winter at Werder Bremen, the 20-year-old midfielder Mesut Özil is one of this season's biggest up-and-coming football players. His winning goal in the German cup final proved that this young man is already much more than a hopeful. By André Tucic More »
Turkish Football
Mirror of National Identity
With its dramatic ascent to the semifinals of the Euro 2008, the Turkish team has impressed the world of football. But how much potential does Turkish football really have? Amin Farzanefar in an interview with sports journalist and Turkey expert Tobias Schächter More »
Young Turkish-German Footballers
For My Country, Against My Country
In their most recent friendly match, the Turkish national team won against Germany, with two goals from the Turkish-Germans Nuri Sahin and Halil Altintop. Has the German football association failed to integrate young talents of Turkish origin? André Tucic looks into the issue More »
Portrait of Frédéric Oumar Kanouté
Not Your Average Footballer
Frédéric Oumar Kanouté is no ordinary footballer: he has donated a large sum of money to a mosque, raises money for needy children, and takes a clear stance on the conflict in the Middle East. A portrait by André Tucic More »
Learning Globalization from Football
Reversing the Skills Drain
Football is not only the world's most popular sport, but also probably its most globalized profession. The sport thus provides a glimpse of how true globalization of labor would work, argues Branco Milanovic in his commentary More »
Soccer Star Abbas Suan
No Arabs, No Goals – Soccer in Israel as a Metaphor
Although the Israeli Arab soccer player Suan is adored as a national hero from Haifa to Tel Aviv, tolerance displayed towards Israel's Arab citizens remains minimal. By Moshe Zimmermann More »
Interview with Sahar al-Hawari
A Pioneer of Egyptian Women's Football
The Egyptian football trainer Sahar al-Hawari has waged many battles with conservatives, who regard women playing football as incompatible with Islamic morals. This July, her team will be playing football at the youth games in Stuttgart, Germany. Nelly Youssef spoke with Sahar al-Hawari More »
Portrait of the Footballer Fatmire Bajramaj
From Refugee to World Champion
Fatmire "Lira" Bajramaj is the superstar of German women's football. The young Muslim shot goals on a TV sports show in high heels, wears makeup on the pitch and is active in integration projects. She recently published her biography at the tender age of 22. By André Tucic More »
International Ladies' Soccer Team Berlin
''You Can Play Football Wearing a Headscarf If Necessary''
They still encounter rejection and prejudice now and then, but their enthusiasm for sport knows no bounds. Eighteen female soccer players from six different countries train for the Turkish club "Al Dersim Spor". By Ariana Mirza More »
