Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt doesn’t believe in boycotting the World Cup in the USA. He recalls the debate surrounding the tournament in Qatar. And he announces: A large number of tips have been received about the attack on the Berlin power grid.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) rejects a boycott of the World Cup. He told the Editorial Network Germany (RND) that he could not understand calls for a boycott. “I still remember very clearly how the debates about the World Cup in Qatar were going on, and I was already of the opinion back then: Play football and stop trying to do politics. That would also be my advice for everyone who is dealing with the topic now.”
Dobrindt emphasized, however, that he also considers the use of the immigration authority ICE, which is currently the main source of criticism of Trump, to be worthy of criticism. “The images we see in the USA seem more than strange to all of us,” said the CSU politician. “Such an approach is completely unthinkable with professionally trained and operating police forces like in Germany and would in no way be tolerated by those responsible for politics.” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) had previously made similar statements.
Other representatives of the federal government and the Union have so far rejected a boycott, including the State Minister for Sport and Volunteering, Christiane Schenderlein. CDU politician Christoph Ploß spoke of a “crazy idea”. Representatives of the Green Party appeared open to a boycott, and the SPD member of the Bundestag and sports policy spokeswoman Bettina Lugk announced that she would not travel to the USA. The World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Dobrindt: Numerous clues after attack on power grid
In the interview, Dobrindt also commented on the attack on the Berlin power grid, for which the federal government has offered a reward of one million euros for the investigation. “Since the reward was announced, a large number of tips have been received,” said Dobrindt. “The BKA is now looking into them, so we can’t say yet whether there is a lead.” At the same time, Dobrindt emphasized: “It is clear, however, that the reward is only available for valid, i.e. successful, information that leads to the capture of the perpetrator or perpetrators.”
The Interior Minister considers the reward, which is limited to February 24th, to be promising. “We believe that there are very different assessments within the left-wing extremist scene about the success of the attack, as a result of which thousands of Berliners had to survive for days in sub-zero temperatures without electricity or heating,” he said. “That’s why I can well imagine that this scene could provide clues to the perpetrators.”
Dobrindt explained that rewards are “fundamentally time-limited in order to make it clear that solving criminal offenses is not being put off for a long time and that any people who know do not have 12 months to consider whether they want to be on the right side.” They are “an incentive to provide the necessary information in a timely manner”.
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