Former Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has denied that his remarks about African football at the World Cup were racist.
The 2014 World Cup winner is now the top pundit for German broadcaster ARD and was criticized by Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé for comments he made at their game with Germany on Saturday.
Schweinsteiger described Ivory Coast's style as "a bit African football, a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, a bit perhaps also not so conditioned by tactics. We have to be prepared for it to be unpredictable."
After the Ivorian coach on Thursday said "we could call it racist," Schweinsteiger responded in an ARD statement on Friday.
"I spoke about football, not about people. That is football analysis. Nothing more and nothing less," Schweinsteiger said. "I certainly didn’t want to offend anyone."
ARD sport boss Axel Balkausky also defended his pundit.
"Bastian Schweinsteiger spoke about his expectations regarding the Ivory Coast team’s style of play. In doing so, he summarised his experiences and observations from recent matches," he said.
"I cannot detect any form of racism in this, nor in his choice of words. If Ivory Coast manager Emerse Faé were to speak directly with Bastian, his suspicions would be dispelled in no time – of that I am certain."
