The Chancellor described a “scandal” as a possible exclusion from her next song contest and left open the possibility of her withdrawal if this happens.
“I think it is a scandal that this is even discussed. Israel has a place” in the competition, “Mr Mertz said in an interview on the first channel of German public television ARD and, answering a question about whether, if Israel’s exclusion, Germany would say that.
Voting in November to participate
There has been a discussion for months on whether Israel will participate in the Eurovision song competition in Austria because of the ongoing war in Gaza. Many countries have already announced that they will abstain if Israel is not excluded. For its part, EBU has announced that the decision.
However, according to a poll on behalf of ARD, 65% of Germans believe that artists and athletes from Israel should not be punished for the actions of the Israeli government, while 24% argue that the country would be properly excluded from international organizations to put pressure on the country.
In the same interview, Mr Mertz also appeared open to the abolition of the use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee), which clarifies disputed phases in football matches, arguing that “the desire for absolute perfection has exceeded the limits”.
“It wouldn’t matter to me to remove it again and rely on the referees’ decisions. We now have four in each game and they should be able to decide, “said Mr Mertz, a well -known football fan and a Borussia Dortmund fan, in which the Supervisory Board even participated until 2014.
The Chancellor, however, clarified that he has not formed a definitive view on the subject, because on the other hand, the referees can change a decision. “
