German soccer club calls off trip to Minnesota amid ICE raids
German professional soccer club Werder Bremen will not travel to Minnesota as part on a preseason tour in the U.S. this spring due to the federal government’s immigration crackdown in the state.
Werder Bremen does not specify which clubs it planned to play in an exhibition game, but Minnesota United typically plays at least one international friendly each season.
“In Minnesota, two people were shot dead by state authorities,” a Werder Bremen club spokesman was quoted by The Athletic and other outlets. “Playing in a city where there is unrest and people are being shot does not fit our values. That will not happen for us.”
A Minnesota United spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. The Loons, which have the most-diverse roster in Minnesota sports, have had players speak out in fear of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in the state over the last few months.
Werder Bremen is considered one of Germany’s most liberal clubs. The German Bundesliga side also planned to go Detroit, where USL Championship team Detroit City FC plays.
More Stories
Stop pretending the EU’s new border system works, airports chief tells politicians
The head of Europe’s airports trade body has urged politicians to “stop pretending” that the European Union’s new digital border...
Whitehall has been frozen for six weeks, warns Reeves’s entrepreneurs adviser
The chancellor’s adviser on entrepreneurs has warned that the machinery of government has already been “frozen for six weeks”, and...
How Real Money Casino Brands Compete on Trust
Trust has become one of the strongest competitive advantages in digital business. Customers now make decisions based not only on...
Oxford and UCL to lead £60m drive to make AI cheaper for British business
Two university-led research labs are to share up to £60 million of government money in a bid to make artificial...
Stricter returns policies could cost UK retailers £34bn in lost sales, research warns
UK retailers could be sleepwalking into a £34.1 billion hole in annual sales by tightening their returns policies, with new...
Worldpay outage leaves pubs and shops scrambling for cash during England match
Thousands of shoppers and football fans were forced back to notes and coins on Tuesday night after a power outage...
