Racism scandal in football: Ansbach sues after Memmingen game!

Racism scandal in football: Ansbach sues after Memmingen game!

An exciting Regionalliga Bayern game between FC Memmingen and SpVgg Ansbach last Friday not only caused sporting excitement, but also massive social discussions. After a dramatic final phase in which Memmingen equalized from a 2-0 deficit in the 87th and 90th minutes, serious accusations of racism were made. A spectator is said to have insulted Ansbach's Ethiopian striker Noah Zerihun Gebre with monkey noises, which Ansbach officials described as "unacceptable and deeply shameful". Due to these incidents, the association announced legal action to fully investigate the incident and demand appropriate consequences for the perpetrator, as kicker.de reports.

The referees, especially Lothar Ostheimer, were made aware of the insults during the game, but neither the referee team nor the security staff seemed to have noticed the incidents. This raises questions about vigilance in stadiums where such unacceptable behavior cannot be tolerated.

Cooperation against racism in football

In a broader context, it is important to know that the Bavarian Football Association (BFV), together with the Attorney General's Office, has signed a cooperation agreement aimed at punishing racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination in football more severely. This collaboration makes it possible to refer racist or discriminatory insults directly to the judiciary. The Munich Attorney General has made it clear that the football field is not a legal vacuum, and the judiciary can now take action without prior notification. For example, over the course of the 2022/23 season, 40 incidents with a discriminatory background have already been registered, and in the current season there are already 28, as welt.de informs.

The relevance of these developments is reinforced by the fact that, according to the agreements, incidents recorded in the scoresheet will be immediately referred to the public prosecutor's office. This is an important step to ensure that perpetrators can expect criminal consequences in addition to sports law. BFV President Christoph Kern and Bavaria's Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich emphasize first-class security for players and fans and warn that blatantly inhumane incidents in sport cannot be tolerated. While emotions in football are acceptable, what is unacceptable are discriminatory statements.

The events so far surrounding the game between Memmingen and Ansbach once again underline the urgency of addressing such issues openly and taking countermeasures. Those responsible in Ansbach want to intensify cooperation with authorities and associations in order to prevent similar incidents in the future and to create a safe environment for all players and spectators.