The prelude to Germany's hosting of the World Cup this summer could have been better. Instead of presenting the country's best side to millions of visitors expected from around the globe and billions more watching the competition on television, Germany's image has recently been hit by several unsavory incidents.

The country was shocked by a brutal attack  -- apparently racially motivated -- last month on a black German citizen, as well as several racist incidents  in lower division German soccer leagues this season. To make things worse, German neo-Nazi groups recently said they would use the tournament to raise their profile at home and abroad. Foreign tourist guides and even the US State Department have warned visitors to exercise caution when traveling in parts of the country's economically depressed east for fear of skinheads and other violence-prone, right-wing extremists.

Taken all together, it's conspiring to tarnish the efforts of the German World Cup organizing committee, headed by football legend Franz Beckenbauer, for a grand soccer extravaganza this summer -- and those of the government in Berlin. And that's a real shame. Despite occasional hiccups and missteps, the entire country has been preparing furiously for months -- if not years -- for this once-in-a-generation chance to welcome the world and show it what a tolerant and progressive place modern Germany has become.

Sports, of course, can never be more than window into the societies in which they are played. And German football certainly isn't the worst offender in Europe when it comes to racist taunting -- the top leagues in both Spain and Italy continue to have appalling problems. But there's undoubtedly room for improvement. Simply confining overtly prejudiced thugs and hooligans to second and third division matches is not an acceptable solution -- as anyone involved with the German game would likely agree.

Tackling racism together

It's therefore encouraging that soccer officials from Germany and Britain came together on Friday in Berlin at the British embassy for a conference entitled: "Football for All: Football, ethnic minorities and the World Cup." Aimed at breaking down barriers and eliminating racism while celebrating the unrivaled diversity of the beautiful game, the event brought together a broad cross section of people involved with soccer, including representatives from UEFA (Europe's soccer governing body), as well as the official football associations of Germany and England, politicians, former players and grassroots activists.

Soccer in Britain, as many of the conference speakers pointed out, isn't perfect, but it's fair to say the English and Scottish top leagues have made great progress in clearing stadium terraces from the kind of prejudice and intolerance that were prevalent in past decades.

Claude Moraes, a British member of the European Parliament, told how he was abused at Celtic Glasgow matches while growing up in Scotland because of his Indian heritage. "My dad had his white friends take me so people probably thought I was adopted. A family of brown people in the 70s was a target," he said. "This isn't just about sport, it's about society. Germany and the World Cup will have a deep responsibility this summer."

Ideally, the tournament this summer will present a double opportunity for Germany. While the world should see what a tolerant and multicultural place modern Germany has become, many Germans will hopefully see the same. Skinheads and other bigots might only represent a fraction, if loud and frightening, of German society, but the reality is that many average Germans still fail to realize just how multicultural their country has become. It's these sorts of attitudes that aggravate the integration of foreigners.

Shunning the German team

Whereas most minority kids on the streets of London or Birmingham probably dream of one day playing for Britain in the World Cup, there are far too many youths who have been born and raised in Germany who are deciding to play for the national squads of other countries.

In an international friendly last year between Germany and Turkey, the two goals scored against the Germans were by players who have far more connection to Germany and German soccer than Turkey. Both Germans and those with immigrant backgrounds in Germany need to think deeply about how problematic this is -- and not just because the quality of the German game suffers on the pitch.

Whether they want to be role models or not, fans look up to the players. If the 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund wunderkind Nuri Sahin would rather play for Turkey despite growing up in Germany, why should other Turks living in Berlin or the Ruhr Valley decide to become German citizens? It's not that integration via soccer is failing entirely -- considerable progress has already been made. Unthinkable only a decade ago, the German national team now has a few black players and two strikers with Polish roots.