Mohamad Tiba has just scored the goal to make it 1-1 as he raises his hand to the head. Is it a victory sign? Or another gesture? His teammates from FC Amed hug the scorer before he realizes what he is showing.
There is currently a lot of excitement about goal celebrations - even in the Berlin district league season 1. After Turkish internationals in two internationals showed the military salute to greet soldiers in the war effort against the Kurdish militia YPG in northern Syria, there is a concern in German amateur football, the gesture could imitators or Provoke counter-reactions.
At the FC Amed the topic has a special explosiveness. Because the dividing line between sport and politics is difficult to draw at the first football club founded in Berlin by Kurds.
If even the name can be a provocation
The club attaches great importance to emphasizing that we focus only on football. But it is not easy these days to hide world politics - even in the ninth division. A week ago, the players of the FC Amed held a banner before their match: "No War No Racism No Hate." It was the first game after the start of the Turkish military offensive in the Kurdish region of northern Syria.
"We are against war and for a peaceful coexistence," says President Sedat Seker, after the first team of his club won on Sunday 2-1 against Berolina in the middle of II. It is a sunny Kreisliga afternoon in Berlin-Tempelhof. Many of the more than 50 spectators came to the artificial turf pitch with children and tennis is played next door.
But the conflict in northern Syria is affecting people here as well as in many Turkish and Kurdish communities in Germany. The FC Amed wants to officially not comment on political issues, the Board has decided. You do not want to pour oil into the fire. There is also the fear that Turkish media could make something negative out of any meaningful statement.
FC Amed
The players of FC Amed form a circle before the match against Berolina in the middle of II
Alone the club name could be understood by the other side as a provocation: Amed is the Kurdish name of the Turkish city Diyarbakr. It is considered the unofficial capital of a possible state of Kurdistan, which the government wants to prevent in Ankara. The sister organization Amedspor is subject to repression in Turkey.
" In the city of Amed, Christians, Jews and Muslims lived together peacefully for centuries, for us the name stands for tolerance," says the chairman Seker, who co-founded the association in 2012. The 37-year-old, who came to Germany 14 years ago, runs a private hair salon. In the club, which already has over 100 members, everyone should be able to join in, emphasizes Seker. There are players from ten nations represented in the team, including Turks, "we want to exclude anyone." But in these times much is political - even names.
There are no incidents for the Berlin Football Association
As with FC Rojava, named after the Syrian Kurdish area. Founded by refugees, the recreational team has joined FC Amed and appears as its second team in their own yellow jerseys. "We are all Kurds from Syria, we get along well," says one of the men, after his game on Sunday afternoon against FC Grunewald went out 1-1.
Already in the morning, the third team of FC Amed against Anadoluspor Berlin had started, a Turkish club. There, too, things were peaceful, and opposing supervisors helped, as the Amed goalkeeper injured himself, a fair gesture. "Everything has remained calm," says Mehmet Matur, who is responsible for the presidency of the Berlin Football Association for Integration. Matur has convinced himself on site that there were no provocations. Until Sunday evening Matur also had no reports of incidents in other places. That does not mean that there have been no discussions.
FC Amed
Game scene from the Kreisligapartie of the FC Amed against Berolina middle II
On a secondary seat of FC Amed kick on Sunday two A-youth teams. A supervisor reports that Turkish players have planned a military salute in their team, but the club management and coaches were able to prevent the youth from doing so together. "We asked her if they even know what the gesture stands for." The Berlin Football Association had announced during the week to display political statements on its amateur courts at the sports court. This has not happened yet.
But the climate for FC Amed is rougher. Turkish players and officials have withdrawn from the club for fear of negative reactions in their community. Nobody wants to talk about it openly.
Ex-professional Pannewitz is now playing for FC Amed
Sporting, it actually works well for the district division. The first team is on promotion course in the district league and has just committed former professional Kevin Pannewitz. The 27-year-old, who already trained in the Bundesliga at VfL Wolfsburg under Felix Magath, was last quit because of overweight at the third division Jena. At FC Amed, the ex-professional wants to train off the extra pounds.
"It's a great advertisement for him and for us," says Mehmet Kaplankiran, who runs the betting firm "Wettarena" and is the main sponsor of FC Amed. Perspectively, the club wants to rise in the Berlin league, the sixth highest league. In the process, the team has to live with the fact that in East Berlin they are sometimes mobbed by AfD supporters and, occasionally, by Turkish players in opposing teams, who sometimes feel disadvantaged by some referees. So they tell it at least in the club.
But on Sunday, after the 2-1 victory of the first team, President Sedat Seker jokes on leaving the court with the referee. He had previously referred to the coach of FC Amed of the field, because he was too excited about his own player. The big political issues can be a topic in the district league, but also the small imperfections.