Dutch sport legend takes back ‘Sieg Heil pancake’ comment

Dutch soccer legend Marco Van Basten apologized for the remark and said he only meant to make fun of the German language skills of his co-worker.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Marco van Basten in 2006 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Marco van Basten in 2006
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Dutch soccer legend Marco Van Basten thought his microphone was off on Saturday when he said “Sieg Heil pancake” to his Fox Sports host Hans Kraay. Instead, his comment was broadcasted live to millions, the British daily Sun reported.
Van Basten apologized for the remark on that very show later, saying he did not mean to shock people, and he apologizes.
He claimed her was only poking fun at the German language skills of Kraay, who is Dutch and was speaking with German manager Frank Wormuth.
The remark took place on the very same weekend Dutch clubs were working hard to fight racism and hate by stopping for a full minute at the start of each match under the slogan "Racism? Then we don’t play football."
The German expression Sieg Heil means "Hail victory," yet its adoption by German society under the rule of Adolf Hitler as an everyday greeting made it into an expression strongly associated with Nazi ideology to the extent that today, it carries the dark connotation of supporting a militaristic society bent on world domination.
The expression was used by Jewish-American comedian Jerry Seinfeld for a joke when he wondered in his act if the Germans had a formal greeting with the Nazi arm salute for special occasions and an informal one for everyday life as in "Sieg Heil, can I have one of those doughnuts?”
Alt-Right activist Richard Spencer celebrated the election victory of US President Donald Trump when he said "Hail Trump! Hail our people!" in November 2016, CNN reported.