German World Cup Pundit Attacked for Dismissing Qatari Attire as ‘Bathrobes’

A leading German football commentator was censured Monday after he dismissed traditional Qatari male national dress as “bathrobes.”

Ex-international forward Sandro Wagner made the offhand observation on TV while commentating during Germany and Spain’s World Cup match a few hours earlier.

AP reports Wagner was appraising the teams’ 1-1 draw for German broadcaster ZDF when he said in the 79th minute he thought one end of the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor was full of German fans.

“Only then did I realize that they are the Qatari bathrobes,” Wagner said.

Wagner was referring to the thaub, the traditional white full-length robes with long sleeves worn by many men in the region and a torrent of furious comments then followed on social media.

The commentators came after the former German footballer labelling him “racist” and “bigoted” for his comment.

Wagner previously made eight appearances for Germany and played for Bayern Munich among a host of German clubs.

During the game, Qatari fans protested against the Germany team by covering the mouths while holding pictures of former Germany player Mesut Özil, a target for racist abuse in Germany following the team’s early exit from the World Cup in 2018, AP report sets out.

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