Grätsche gegen Rechts — Interview with Aleks Petrovic and Sascha Marinkovic
On the pitch, they face each other as rivals — off the playing field, they share a love for the most beautiful side matter in the world. In our interview, the two exceptional soccer players spoke about racism in amateur soccer and provocations on the soccer field:
Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to ask a few questions. What are your experiences with racism in amateur soccer? Not only on the pitch between players, but also what happens from the ranks?
Petrovic: There are plenty of racist incidents, including in amateur soccer, of course.
From time to time, you get insulted about your origin. Be it as Kanake or Dirty Jugo, everything has already happened. Both on the part of the players and on the part of the audience.
The advantage in the 3rd division back then was that the stadiums were fuller and you didn't notice it. You could also fight a battle of words there without being punished for it. With us, however, when you play in front of just 600-1000 spectators, you notice almost everything.
Marinkovic: IFortunately, I have had no experience with racism in amateur soccer in Germany. I believe that soccer is about fun and not about insulting each other, no matter which country you're from. On and off the pitch. Fans should watch a show on the soccer field and support the team they love. From my point of view, it is primarily about respect. Things get heated up on the pitch sometimes, of course, but not when it comes to racism.
It's good to hear that not everyone has only had negative experiences. Petro, how do you react to such derailments then, how do you stay calm? Or is there a secret recipe?
Petrovic: Not a secret recipe. I think that depends entirely on what type of person you are. Because of my impulsive streak and temperament, I barely let anything sit on me and then also hand out. Not on a national and racist basis, but in a different way. I think it's best to give the answer on the pitch.
Sascha, how do you react to such “hot” situations on the pitch?
Marinkovic: I play soccer with passion. That's why I get a bit louder and get annoyed in situations like this. But that only takes 5 seconds and then I focus on the match again. If you focus too much on what the opponent said or the referee whistled, then it distracts you from your game and you're not fully engaged anymore. The referee is just doing his job and we have to respect that.
That sounds very positive. Would you say that the behavior of players and fans has changed in recent years, whether in amateur places or in the Bundesliga?
Petrovic: I do think that we have taken a step forward, especially in the big stadiums. But it still needs to get better. It cannot be that fans insult and whistle at players based on their origin, religion or skin color when it comes to the most beautiful side issue in the world. The sport is so beautiful that there can be no room for such activities.
Marinkovic: I've only been playing in Germany for 3 years, so I can't really judge that well. But I think it's changed for the better. I think people are becoming more and more concerned with it.
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Do you think soccer has the opportunity to change something for the better?
Petrovic: I do think that every single player or fan can do their part, but it is always up to you. For years, anti-racism campaigns have been run in the professional sector and advertised with banners, sayings, slogans, etc. Yet racism is still pervasive. This means that everyone has to grab their own nose and can change something like that.
Especially in the amateur sector, there are so many players and fans. If everyone would only make a small contribution, then we could achieve a great deal together. Perhaps we shouldn't always leave it to the professional teams, but we should all do it ourselves.
Marinkovic: I think that is similar to the first question. Football must be fun, no matter where you play it, whether on the soccer field, in the schoolyard or on the street. And if the gates consist only of shoes that lie on the concrete. I can give you a small example of this.
When I was still playing for ESV Munich, we were in training camp in Spain. We took part in a tournament called “Come along.” On a day off, I went into town with the boys and we see a soccer field. A few kids played soccer there, around our age. They asked us if we wanted to play along. At least we assumed that, because the big problem was that we didn't have a common language. But we understood it anyway. We played soccer and had fun. That is exactly what it is about. That's really something I'll never forget, because I think that's exactly the power that soccer has in itself. That people from different countries can understand each other without speaking a common language!
Thanks guys for both of you taking time to answer our questions. We wish you and your teams a successful regional league season.
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