FIFA president Gianni Infantino has denounced “unacceptable” racist insults that occurred recently during two matches in the German Cup.
He has called on competition organisers and judicial authorities to take action while reiterating that racism has “no place” in football.
The first incident took place during a German Cup round of 32 match between Lokomotive Leipzig (D4) and Schalke 04 (D2), when Schalke striker Christopher Antwi-Adjei became a victim of racial insults.
The Ghanaian international reported the incident to the linesman, and the match was interrupted for five minutes.
The second incident occurred at the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion in Potsdam (eastern Germany), between Stahnsdorf (D5) and Kaiserslautern (D2), which was also marked by racist insults against a player from the opposing team.
“It is appalling to see that for the second time in recent days, racist insults have taken place during football matches,” Infantino said in an email from FIFA to German media.
“I repeat myself and will continue to do so: there is no place for racism or any other form of discrimination in football. We are committed to ensuring that players are respected and protected,” Infantino said.
The German Football Association, which organises the Cup competitions, said the “control committee is examining the incidents and is initiating investigations against the respective clubs.”
Last weekend, a man was arrested in England in connection with racist insults directed towards Bournemouth’s Ghanaian player, Antoine Semenyo, during the Premier League season opening game against Liverpool.