Investigation into Racist Abuse in German Cup Games
The German Football Association (DFB) has initiated an investigation into incidents of alleged racist abuse in two German cup games on Sunday. A spokesman for DFB told the news agency that the Supervisory Committee is examining the incidents and has hired an investigation against the respective clubs.
Incidents at the Weekend Games
During Schalke’s 1-0 victory over Lokomotiv Leipzig, the match was briefly suspended in the 13th minute after Christopher Antwi-Adjei confronted Schalke’s fans. The stadium employee then asked the supporters to refrain from using racist or discriminatory language. The match was interrupted for about three minutes.
After the game, Antwi-Adjei, who represents Ghana International, said that he had reported the incident to the deputy referee. "It is not acceptable, not at all these days," said Antwi-Adjei. "I don’t want to repeat the words used, but it is disappointing. I’m not the guy who goes home and cries, but it is still disappointing that it happens on the field these days."
Lok Leipzig claimed that nobody reported the alleged racist abuse. However, after the game was resumed, the Schalke player was booed by the home fans when he touched the ball.
Another Incident in a Separate Game
In a separate game between Eintracht and lower-league Eintracht Stahnsdorf against Kaiserslautern, a visiting player who had warmed up on the sidelines was allegedly offended by the crowd. The perpetrator was quickly identified with the help of spectators and security at the Karl Liebknecht stadium in Potsdam. The match, which Kaiserslautern won 7-0, continued without interruption.
Reaction from Football Authorities
Hermann Winkler, President of the Northeast German Football Association (NOFV), warned against drawing conclusions from the incidents. Winkler took part in the match between Lok Leipzig and Schalke and said that he had not noticed a xenophobic atmosphere. "While it is necessary to solve this serious problem quickly, they no longer let us speculate and assign the guilt before the match report and evaluate the results of the police investigation."
FIFA President’s Response
FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned both incidents and said that he expected the DFB to clarify what happened and punish the perpetrators. "I will repeat myself and I will continue to do it: in football there is no place for racism or other forms of discrimination," said Infantino. "FIFA, the player committee and the entire football community are among those affected by these incidents – we are determined to ensure that players are respected and protected and the organizers and law enforcement authorities take suitable measures."
