An Iranian-born soccer player who would not play in Israel will remain on the German national team.
Ashkan Dejagah, 21, has agreed to play against the Israeli team when it comes to Germany next year, according to The Associated Press.
The announcement came Tuesday following an hourlong meeting between Dejagah and German Football Association President Theo Zwanziger.
Politicians had joined Jewish leaders in Germany calling for Dejagah to be dropped from the German squad after he refused to play in a European Championship qualifier in Israel on Oct. 12. Dejagah, a Tehran native, had cited personal reasons.
Dejageh told Zwanziger he feared for the well-being of his relatives in Iran, and that was why he did not want to travel to Israel.
in their meeting, Zwanziger said the player stressed “that there were no racist or anti-Semitic reasons.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
