FIFA President Gianni Infantino has strongly condemned the alleged incidents of racial abuse that marred two German Cup fixtures over the weekend, describing them as “unacceptable.”
In a statement released on Monday, Infantino reiterated FIFA’s stance against discrimination in football.
“I repeat myself and will continue to do so. There is no place for racism in football,” he said.
The controversy unfolded on Sunday when a match between Lokomotive Leipzig and Schalke was briefly halted after Schalke winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei reported being racially abused by home supporters. An announcement over the stadium’s public address system immediately denounced racist behavior, but Antwi-Adjei was repeatedly booed by sections of the crowd once play resumed. Lokomotive Leipzig later issued a public apology.
In a separate fixture the same day, Kaiserslautern reported that one of their players was racially abused by a fan during their clash with RSV Eintracht.
Infantino confirmed that FIFA would “closely monitor these incidents” and work alongside the German Football Association in addressing the issue.
These incidents come on the heels of another racial abuse case on Friday during the Premier League’s season opener at Anfield, where Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo was allegedly targeted by a Liverpool supporter. Play was stopped, and Merseyside Police later arrested a man on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.
Semenyo later revealed on social media that the abuse would “stay with him forever,” but praised the solidarity shown by players and officials, noting that “football showed its best side when it mattered most.”
Infantino, who had already condemned the abuse in England, reiterated on Monday that it was “absolutely unacceptable that racist abuse has occurred at football matches for the second time in recent days.”
