German players are unlikely to make any major political statements at Euro 2024 after their World Cup protest in Qatar was met with a tepid domestic reception, ex-international Thomas Hitzlsperger has predicted.

Seven European nations at the 2022 global showpiece – including England – initially planned to wear ‘OneLove’ anti-discrimination armbands but were dissuaded following the threat of sporting sanctions from FIFA.

Instead, the Germans covered their mouths for a World Cup team photograph in protest, while the tournament remained overshadowed by the host nation’s record on human rights, from its treatment of migrant workers to the criminalisation of same-sex relationships.

Hitzlsperger, who bookended his playing career with spells at Aston Villa and Everton and a decade ago became the first former Premier League player to come out as gay, said: “It ended for the German team not in a good way. Funnily enough, back home a lot of people criticised it whereas abroad it was seen as a big statement.

“After the tournament, some of the representatives of the German national team just said, ‘look, at the Euros we talk about football, nothing else’. So I don’t expect much from the team similar to the World Cup.

“I think the England team were the first ones to play, and they decided against the One Love armband. A lot of the German players, they felt a responsibility, they felt ‘we’ve got to make a statement’.

“They couldn’t rely on the other teams. I think there were seven teams in the end that tried to stick together and wear the armband, and then they all collapsed, basically. And that’s when the Germans were like, ‘We still have to do something’.”

The former midfielder, who is now serving as an ambassador for this summer’s tournament in his home country, agrees that Germany’s poor showing likely influenced negative sentiment around the protest.

He said: “Football can be brutal. If you win, you set the tone and whatever you do it’s accepted and people look up to you. If you don’t win, you lose football matches, then you better not say anything.”

Even before the tournament, said the 42-year-old, the German public was already divided over whether or not the national team – or anyone – had a responsibility to act.

“It was a very difficult debate and it never came to a conclusion,” said Hitzlsperger.

“Some said it’s too much politics, others said it was right what we did, and that’s where we ended. That was our opportunity to say ‘we’re hosting a European Championship, let’s have a really good time together’, talk about responsibility when it comes to sustainability but don’t teach the world what to do.”

Organisers hope the tournament itself will instead do the talking, with ambitions to become be the most sustainable European Championship of all time through the use of entirely pre-existing stadia run by 100 per cent renewable energy sources, a zoned match schedule reducing travel distances for teams and fans, and the creation of a climate fund dedicated to projects focused on mitigating tournament-related unavoidable emissions.

It is also the second major football tournament, following in the footsteps of last summer’s Women’s World Cup, to sign a human rights declaration.

UEFA has stated EURO 2024 “embraces gender identities and expressions as a spectrum that is not limited to a binary concept”, with gender-neutral toilets available at all venues and similarly neutral lanes outside the stadia to accommodate a range of gender expressions for procedures like body checks.

Ultimately, says Hitzlsperger, “the German FA, UEFA, the German government and the foreign ministry, (will do) everything we can do, without putting the team under too much pressure to say ‘every game you have to make a statement’.

“You have to know who is responsible for what, and unfortunately what happened in Qatar really made the players aware of the consequences if you take a stance on human rights.”

Thomas Hitzlsperger believes clear improvements have been made with respect to diversity in football and hopes players from Europe's major leagues will soon feel comfortable coming out as gay.

Hitzlsperger – who earned 52 caps for Germany between 2004 and 2010 and helped Stuttgart win the Bundesliga in 2006-07 – came out in 2014, less than a year after his retirement. 

Having become the highest-profile player to come out, Hitzlsperger recognises the "courage" required for anyone to take such a decision.

However, citing evolving attitudes towards homosexuality in football and the impact of diversity campaigns, Hitzlsperger believes the sport is now more welcoming.

Speaking to Stats Perform at the Football Business Awards, Hitzlsperger said: "What I'm seeing is a lot of improvement in what clubs are doing to promote diversity. We see a lot of symbolism, symbols, and support. 

"But it's down to the player or the players to make that decision. It takes courage, it takes a good network of family and friends to finally go that way.

"I can't predict how long it's going to take, but I'm glad to see that among fans and clubs in the media and in general, there's a positive attitude towards it. 

"If we always pick out the people who discriminate on this, then we can always argue, but in general, I think there has been an improvement. 

"I can only hope that we see a player or some players [come out] one day because that would make another big change."

Hitzlsperger enjoyed three spells in the Premier League during his playing career, representing Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham.

The Hammers are gearing up to face Fiorentina in next month's Europa Conference League final, and Hitzlsperger is optimistic regarding their chances of continental glory.

"It's massive," he said. "Again, as a football fan, you're going into a European competition. That in itself is a great achievement. 

"But then ending up in the final means so much to the fans, the journeys across Europe, so I can only hope that they do well, win the final and give the fans something to cheer about because I remember being there. 

"Sometimes when you get relegated, I know how depressing it is for everybody involved, but the club has recovered and hopefully in the future they will also do well in the Premier League."

Germany has given the go-ahead for transgender and non-binary footballers to decide for themselves whether to play for men's or women's teams.

The landmark move, announced on Thursday by the DFB, Germany's football federation, will come into effect from the start of the 2022-23 season.

It comes in the week that swimming's world governing body FINA said transgender women would not be allowed to compete in women's elite swimming events if they had previously experienced any physical aspects of male puberty.

FINA president Husain Al-Musallam said swimming was acting "to protect competitive fairness at our events", and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe offered supportive comments that appeared to point to his sport possibly soon following suit.

German football is taking a different view for now, with the decision hailed by Thomas Hitzlsperger, the former Aston Villa, Stuttgart and Germany midfielder who is now a DFB diversity ambassador.

Hitzlsperger said: "Football stands for diversity, a value that the DFB also promotes. This new regulation on playing rights will provide an important foundation to allow players with diverse gender identities to play football."

The DFB said transgender, intersex and non-binary footballers "can decide for themselves in the future whether they should be granted the right to play for a women's or men's team".

Any player taking medication while undergoing gender reassignment would be able to continue to do so, without being at risk of failing a drug test.

A DFB statement added: "As long as the player's health is not affected by playing sports while taking medication, they can continue to participate in the sport. Under the new regulation, this would not be considered as doping."

The DFB said its decision was based on evidence stemming from research from the Berlin Football Association, which has operated a pilot scheme from 2019 allowing transgender, intersex and non-binary players to decide in what competition they should play.

The trial has "shown that this directive will not affect the integrity of the competition", the DFB said, and regional 'trustees' will be appointed to help players through the process of being granted playing eligibility.

Sabine Mammitzsch, the DFB's vice-president for women's and girls' football, said: "The national and regional associations and also those responsible at grassroots level have signalled for some time that there is uncertainty around how to treat trans, intersex and non-binary players in practice.

"They therefore welcome the introduction of a far-reaching, nationwide regulation on the playing rights of these groups."