'Don't go and insult the host country': German ambassador warns against 'Ten German Bombers' chant at Euros
14 June 2024, 19:32 | Updated: 15 June 2024, 07:49
Miguel Berger, the German Ambassador to the UK, has told LBC that football fans should not "go and insult the host country" amid ongoing controversy over the chant '10 German Bombers'.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Earlier, LBC was told German police said they would "intervene" should England football fans sing the chant at the Euros this summer.
Mr Berger told Tom Swarbrick that it was a "basic issue" and a "question of respect."
"If you go to a certain country and want to enjoy yourself as a football fan, don't go and insult the host country
He added: "I would really hope people enjoy themselves, that they have a fantastic time in Germany, be fans of their team and support their team, but that's it."
German ambassador responds to 'Ten German Bombers' controversy
When asked whether German police have suggested there might be a problem with security for England's opening game with he said the issues arose from the other side.
"We have had excellent cooperation with English and Scottish police ahead of these matches- there are some more high risk games like England v Serbia, because we might expect some more difficult fans from Serbia, but with police cooperation we think we have done what we can to avoid pictures we don't want to see."
Read more: Teenage neo-Nazi who planned attack on synagogue jailed for eight years
Mr Berger also spoke of the "great atmoshosphere".
"People are really looking forward after months of preparation. It was great to see the images from Munich- the Scotland fans already arriving. It's a great atmosphere."
He later added he was "confident" Germany will survive the group stages and that his minimum expectation is the semi finals.
10 German Bombers chant is 'British banter' says caller
LBC has been told UK officers will be stationed in the German city to assist authorities in the security operation.
Police have also warned England fans about the singing of a controversial chant which mocks German casualties during World War Two.
The chant is partially a corruption of the nursery rhyme Ten Green Bottles but sung to the tune of traditional folk song She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain.
It replaces the lyrics "bottles hanging on the wall" from the former with "German bombers in the air" - before the line: "...but the RAF from England shot them down".
Calls to crackdown on the singing of the ‘10 German Bombers’ chant have grown since footage emerged, earlier in the month, of it being sung during England’s Euro 2024 warm-up win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park.
