German under-21 player under fire for not playing in Israel

Dejagah, 20, said Monday he would not play in Friday's 2009 European Championship qualifier in Tel Aviv for "personal reasons," which has prompted a fierce debate over the issue.

 "The player from (VFL) Wolfsburg represents the Federal Republic (of Germany). As it has friendly ties with the Jewish state based on its historic responsibility it would be a great insult if this anti-Israeli behaviour was tolerated," said Charlotte Knobloch, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, in a press release.

 "We expect that the (German football federation) DFB excludes the player from the national team."

   The DFB has so far not taken any action, but DFB president Theo Zwanziger said on Monday that Dejagah's behaviour was not acceptable.

 "We will not accept that a German international cancels his appearance in an international match for ideological reasons," said Zwanziger in a press release which said "the DFB has taken notice" that Dejagah will not play.

 Zwanziger said he respected the decision from coach Dieter Eilts after Eilts told him "that the player gave private reasons" for his absence.

 But Zwanziger acknowledged mistakes by the DFB on Tuesday and said that the outcome of a meeting with the player will determine whether he will be nominated again.

 "We accepted his apology too quickly. I will make it a bit more difficult for him and talk about the responsibilities he must show as a national team player," Zwanziger told Hessischer Rundfunk radio.

 Dejagah, who played at Hertha Berlin before joining Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg last summer, said in a DFB press release that his absence was "of a personal nature and within my closest family."

   But he was quoted as saying by the Bild daily: "The reason is a political one. Everyone knows that I am German-Iranian." And he told another daily, the BZ, that "I have more Iranian than German blood. I also act out of respect. My parents are Iranian."

   Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has not recognized Israel's right to exist and Iranians are not allowed to travel to Israel.

 Bild said that Dejagah's parents came to Germany from Iran as political refugees when he was one year old. The player allegedly fears reprisals against family members living in Iran. Bild said that Eilts respected his absence for this reason.

 Zwanziger will head the DFB delegation on the trip to Israel which starts on Wednesday. Zwanziger will visit the Holocaust Memorial of Yad Vashem together with Eilts, DFB sports director Matthias Sammer and one player, and talks with Israel football officials are also scheduled ahead of the match.

 Zwanziger named the German-Israeli relations "outstanding" and said that football has "always built bridges in the past."

DPA