Zsolt Petry, the team's goalkeeper coach, who has worked for the team since 2015, has been fired from Hertha Berlin. According to the statement issued by the club, the removal is justified by an interview published in Magyar Nemzet, which was made without the consent of Hertha. The translation of the interview was published on several German portals and came under fire for its content.
Hertha decided to part with Zsolt Petry after the goalkeeper coach's interview published in Magyar Nemzet on Monday. As CEO Carsten Schmidt says in the club's official statement, Petry's work has always been highly valued by the team, he was known as an understanding and helpful person who never once behaved in a xenophobic manner.
As they write, Hertha previously signed the Diversity Charter, and Petry's statement goes against the values assumed and professed by the club.
"...we came to the conclusion that the statement does not comply with the values of Hertha BSC. We would like to thank Zsolt Petry for the work he has done and wish him all the best in the future," said Schmidt about the background of the decision.
"I would like to state that I am neither homophobic nor xenophobic - the words of Zsolt Petry can be read here.
– I am very sorry for what I said about immigration policy, and at the same time I want to apologize to all the immigrants I offended. I really enjoyed working at Hertha and I respect the club's decision. I wish everyone the best of luck at the club in the future!" said the former Hungarian national team specialist.
In the interview given to Magyar Nemzet , which was mostly about football, the Hungarian professional also expressed his thoughts on one or two politically sensitive topics, the relevant parts are as follows:
"The majority of Hungarian society does not agree with Péter Gulácsi's liberal opinion about rainbow families. Therefore, many people began to criticize him, even though the expression of opinion is not morally objectionable. Péter did nothing but stand up for his principles. In principle, he cannot and should not be condemned just because he expressed his opinion. Whether people agree with his point of view or not is another matter. As an athlete, I would concentrate on football in his place, and I would not formulate any position on public and socio-political issues. "
"I don't even understand how Europe can morally sink as low as it is now. For me, immigration policy is a manifestation of moral degradation. Let us continue our lives in Europe along the lines of national values that we have learned over many years. Europe is a Christian continent, I do not like to watch the moral degradation that sweeps across the continent. The liberals magnify the objections: if you don't think migration is good, because an awful lot of criminals have overwhelmed Europe, then you are already accused of being a racist. This cannot be allowed, the other person's opinion is less often tolerated, especially if the person takes a conservative position."
Photo: Zsolt Petry / herthabsc.de
