FIFA President Gianni Infantino has strongly condemned the alleged racial abuse that occurred during two German Cup fixtures over the weekend. The incidents happened in matches involving Lokomotive Leipzig vs. Schalke and RSV Eintracht vs. Kaiserslautern, where players Christopher Antwi-Adjei and a Kaiserslautern player, respectively, reported being subjected to racist abuse from the crowd.
Infantino described the incidents as “absolutely unacceptable” and emphasized that there is no place for racism in football. He stated that FIFA would continue to closely monitor these incidents and work with the German FA (DFB) to combat racism in the sport. The FIFA president had previously issued a statement on Sunday after Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo alleged racial abuse during Liverpool’s 4-2 win, which led to a man being arrested for a racially aggravated public order offense.
The matches were temporarily halted after the incidents, with announcements made over the stadium PA systems condemning the racist abuse. Lokomotive Leipzig later issued an apology after their player was booed repeatedly by the home support following the resumption of the match. Infantino’s stance emphasizes the need for stricter measures to prevent racial abuse in football, including potential automatic forfeits for teams whose fans engage in such behavior.
