Joshua Kimmich is not vaccinated - and the whole country has been discussing it for almost two weeks.

They also?

Michael Horeni

Football correspondent Europe in Berlin.

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Christian Kamp

Sports editor.

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I am vaccinated.

And I also supported the DFB vaccination campaign “Referee, I already got yellow” out of conviction.

It would be ideal if every player were vaccinated with us.

In Germany, however, we are not required to be vaccinated, so everyone has the right to make their own decision.

And it is also clear: Many people have certain concerns.

It was the same for me at the beginning.

Then I did some research and took advice from doctors whom I have known for a long time and whom I trust.

They enlightened me and said: Hansi, you have to get vaccinated.

Because when you get it, it's way worse than the side effects you can get from a vaccination.

How did you perceive the discussion about Kimmich?

For me, boundaries are crossed when people are insulted and put in a certain corner where they don't belong.

Even if Jo is not vaccinated, he is not a corona denier.

He does not belong to lateral thinkers and conspiracy theorists.

Anyone who knows Jo knows what makes him tick.

He questions everything, is very interested, always wants to know and understand all the connections - and sometimes it takes a while until he has finally formed his opinion.

Did you talk to him about it?

I have that. He still has some question marks, precisely because he wants to know everything exactly. Personally, I don't see any point at which I could pinpoint concerns about long-term consequences. But what is currently happening to him in the discussion is wrong and unfair. He doesn't belong in the pillory. I would have liked a lot more objectivity, although I also see a positive effect that his arguments and his concerns about possible long-term consequences are discussed. He's not the only one who has these worries. I find it regrettable that this discussion is now being carried out on his back, it has not passed him by without a trace. But it is good if the discussion takes away people's fear of long-term harm from vaccination. Education remains the most important thing on this issue.And it may not have been done sufficiently yet.

What do you mean by that - that a player like Kimmich with so many doctors in his professional environment had too little information?

I mean that in principle and independently of Jo. We all experience it personally in our own families, with children and grandchildren, in schools, at work. The fact that there are always vaccination breakthroughs creates new discussions and uncertainty. That has to be taken seriously. And it must be emphasized much more clearly how rare these breakthroughs are and, above all, that vaccinated people who get Corona have an extremely high probability of a mild course. We will also take up the topic again in our national team. Not only in front of the assembled team, but also in one-on-one, very personal. If someone has worries, we will try to take them away.

How high is the vaccination quota in the national team, in the Bundesliga it should be over 90 percent?

As I said: It would be nice if every player was vaccinated with us.

Although I see the necessity even higher in other professional groups, with medical professionals, nursing staff, teachers or educators.

But this is not the case even in these professional groups.

If Kimmich gets vaccinated now, many people will say that he has given in to the mainstream, the DFB or the federal government.

If he wants to stay unvaccinated, others will push him even more into the corner of corona deniers.