Berlin (dts) - The Green Party member of the Bundestag Philip Krämer wants to withdraw the Silver Laurel Leaf from former national soccer player Mesut Özil. “Mesut Özil's award with the Silver Laurel Leaf requires, in addition to top sporting performance, a special suitability of character,” said the vice-chairman of the Bundestag Sports Committee to the “Editorial Network Germany” (Tuesday edition). “Openly supporting the gray wolves by wearing a tattoo contradicts this character suitability.”
Krämer demands: “Therefore, if possible, deprivation should be considered.” This is “above all about the role model function and the integrative effect of sport.” The Silver Laurel Leaf is the highest sporting award in the country. In 2014, Özil received the honor from then Federal President Joachim Gauck in the presence of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). The corresponding paragraph in the law on titles, medals and decorations regulates that an award can be withdrawn if the recipient is “unworthy of the title or award given due to his behavior, in particular by committing a dishonorable crime”.
