Bundesliga Clubs Boycott Bild's #RefugeesWelcome Campaign

More and more clubs are joining the boycott of the "Wir helfen - #refugeeswelcome" sleeve patch campaign. Following fellow 2nd division clubs St. Pauli and Union Berlin, MSV Duisburg this morning announced it would also not participate in the much discussed action.

Duisburg, St. Pauli, Union Berlin Boycott Bild Campaign

Duisburg's kit this weekend will show a large "Refugees Welcome" writing instead of the "Wir helfen" sleve badge.

Earlier this week, FC St. Pauli explained it would not participate in the campaign due to Bild's presence. The club claimed that it already did "practical and direct help, where it is needed".

Between the lines, St. Pauli's boycott was interpreted as a protest against the Bild newspaper, which organized the "Wir helfen" campaign. Bild frequently ran stories against immigrants in the past and only lately joined the broad welcome movement.

Bild's reactions to St. Pauli's decision to not sport the logo of the newspaper's campaign in the next league match were particularly delicate. Kai Diekmann, Editor in chief at Bild, tweeted that refugees would not be welcome at St. Pauli, a club well-known for its many social activities and its diversified culture.

The following heated discussions prompted fellow 2nd division teams Union Berlin and MSV Duisburg to also drop the badge, instead focusing on more "long-term help". Duisburg's kits this weekend will show a bold "Refugees Welcome" writing on the front, the club and main sponsor Black Crevice have announced.

Other clubs that declared to not feature the badge in their next matches are VfL Bochum, SC Freiburg and 1. FC Nürnberg. With many supporter groups asking their clubs to also boycott the campaign, it's more than likely to see more clubs, including 1st division ones, to join.

For much more-detailed coverage of the events, check out BILDblog [German].

Do you think it's right to boycott the campaign due to Bild's ambiguous stance on immigrants or is it more important to show a united sign? Let us know in the comments below.