FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday condemned as “unacceptable” the alleged racial abuse reported during two German Cup matches over the weekend.
“I repeat myself and will continue to do so. There is no place for racism in football,” Infantino declared in his statement.
On Sunday, officials halted the match between Lokomotive Leipzig and Schalke after winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei reported being racially abused by home fans. A stadium announcement condemned the abuse, but when play resumed, Antwi-Adjei was repeatedly booed. Lokomotive later issued an apology.
That same day, a Kaiserslautern player also reported racial abuse from a spectator during their away fixture against RSV Eintracht.
Infantino pledged that FIFA would “continue to closely monitor these incidents” and would work with the German FA (DFB) “in the fight against racism.”
The German incidents followed Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo’s allegation that a Liverpool supporter racially abused him during Friday’s Premier League opener at Anfield. Play stopped in the first half after Semenyo’s complaint, and police later arrested a man for a racially aggravated public order offence.
Semenyo later wrote on social media that the incident would “stay with him forever” but praised the swift support from players and officials, saying football “showed its best side when it mattered most.”
Infantino, who also commented on the Semenyo case, stressed on Monday that it was “absolutely unacceptable that racist abuse has occurred at football matches for the second time in recent days.”