German top nationalist criticized for comment over black football player

A high rank member of a German nationalist party has come in for criticism for allegedly saying not many people would want Jerome Boateng, as their neighbor.

Boateng who is a key player on Germany’s national football team was born by a Ghanaian father.
Deputy leader of Alternative for Germany, Alexander Gauland was quoted as telling the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper:

“People find him good as a footballer. But they don’t want to have a Boateng as their neighbor.” The newspaper’s front-page headline was “Gauland insults Boateng.”

Minister of Justice, Heiko Maas called the comment “unacceptable.” He wrote on Twitter:

 “Anyone who talks like this unmasks himself, and not just as a bad neighbor.”

Gauland in a statement said:

 he “never insulted Mr. Boateng.” He said that, in a confidential background conversation, he “described some people’s attitudes” but did not himself comment on Boateng.

“Of course we can be proud of our national team,” he added.

AfD leader Frauke Petry told the Bild newspaper that Gauland couldn’t remember whether he had made the comment.

“Independently of that, I apologize to Mr. Boateng for the impression that has arisen,” she said.

Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Bild that Gauland’s reported comment “shows that Gauland is not just against foreigners but against the good things about Germany: modernity, openness and liberality.” He called AfD “anti-German.”