FIFA President Gianni Infantino has condemned two recent incidents of alleged racist abuse at German Cup matches as “unacceptable”, underlining that racism has no place in football. His remarks come amid ongoing investigations by German police and football authorities into the events.
The first incident occurred during a DFB-Pokal encounter between Schalke and Lokomotive Leipzig. Schalke winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei was reportedly subjected to racist chants by spectators throughout the match—a complaint he later filed with the authorities. The referee briefly halted play, leading to an announcement urging spectators to cease discriminatory behaviour. Schalke coach Miron Muslic and the club’s sporting director Frank Baumann publicly denounced the abuse, calling it intolerable. Lokomotive Leipzig subsequently issued a formal apology.
In a separate match, a Kaiserslautern substitute was allegedly targeted with racial abuse while warming up during a fixture against RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf. The suspected perpetrator was swiftly identified, prompting fans from both teams to chant “Nazis out” in solidarity with the victim.
Infantino reaffirmed FIFA’s support for those affected, stating that the Players’ Voice Panel would engage with the German Football Federation to ensure protections for players going forward.
German Football Federation president Bernd Neuendorf also issued a statement condemning the incidents. “Racism and discrimination, hatred and exclusion have no place in football,” he stated, affirming that investigations by German authorities and the DFB are already underway.
These incidents follow a recent case in England, where Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo reported racist abuse during a Premier League match at Liverpool. A suspect was arrested and later released on conditional bail, with a stadium ban imposed. FIFA’s Players’ Voice Panel will also reach out to Semenyo.
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