The German Football Association (DFB) has launched an investigation into the incidents of alleged racist abuse at two German Cup matches on Sunday.
“The supervisory committee is investigating the incidents and initiating investigations against the respective clubs,” a spokesman for the DFB told Germany’s DPA news agency on Monday.
What happened at the weekend matches?
Schalke’s 1-0 win after extra time away at Lokomotiv Leipzig was briefly suspended in the 13th minute after Schalke’s Christopher Antwi-Adjei confronted fans.
The match was interrupted for around three minutes. The stadium announcer then urged supporters to refrain from using racist or discriminatory language.
After the game, the German-born left-winger, who represents Ghana internationally, said he had reported the incident to the assistant referee.
“It’s not acceptable, not in this day and age, not at all,” Antwi-Adjei said.
“I don’t want to repeat the words that were used, but it’s disappointing. I’m not the type to go home and cry, but still it’s disappointing that it happens on the field these days,” he told Sky TV.
Lok Leipzig said no one else had reported the alleged racist abuse.
After the game had resumed, the Schalke player was booed by the home fans whenever he touched the ball.
Meanwhile, during the middle of the second half of lower-league Eintracht Stahnsdorf’s fixture against second-tier Kaiserslautern, a visiting player who was warming up on the sideline appeared to be insulted by the crowd.
The perpetrator was identified quickly with the help of spectators and security at the Karl Liebknecht Stadium in Potsdam. The match, which Kaiserslautern won 7-0, continued without interruption.
Hermann Winkler, the president of the Northeast German Football Association (NOFV) warned against jumping to conclusions following the incidents.
Winkler attended the match between Lok Leipzig and Schalke and said he didn’t “notice any xenophobic atmosphere.”
“While it is necessary to deal with this serious issue quickly, let’s stop speculating and assigning blame before the match report and the results of the police investigations have been evaluated,” Winkler told DPA.
Gianni Infantino calls on DFB to punish perpetrators
FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned both incidents, saying he expected the DFB to clarify what happened and to punish the perpetrators.
“I will repeat myself and I will keep doing it: In football, there’s no place for racism or other forms of discrimination,” Infantino said.
“FIFA, the players’ committee and the entire football community stand by those affected by these incidents – we are determined to ensure that players are respected and protected and that competition organizers and law enforcement agencies take appropriate measures.”
km/rmt
