- Player targeted during tense cup fixture
- Club demands accountability from authorities
- Coach, captain voice strong support for player
Schalke 04'س كأس ألمانيا win against Lokomotive Leipzig was overshadowed by racist abuse directed at the midfielder Antwi-Adjei. In the 13th minute, as he prepared to take a throw-in, Antwi-Adjei reported hearing discriminatory slurs from the stands, after which referee Max Burda halted the game for around three minutes, while the stadium announcer issued a warning against racist and discriminatory language.
Instead of solidarity, sections of the home crowd booed Antwi-Adjei with every touch for the remainder of the match, an ugly backdrop to Schalke’s eventual 1-0 extra-time victory.
Schalke 04 strongly condemned the racist abuse, with the club’s hierarchy, coach, and captain all uniting in support of the winger. Sporting director Frank Baumann spoke on behalf of the board, issuing a clear message: “First and foremost, I feel very sorry for Christopher that he had to hear such words. We condemn this behaviour in the strongest terms and hope the perpetrator can be identified. Schalke 04’s fans and members have made a clear and unequivocal commitment in our statutes and mission statement to fight against discrimination and racism, and as a club and board we represent those values without compromise. We stand firmly by Christopher’s side.”
Antwi-Adjei himself expressed his dismay at the incident while speaking to sky sport, saying: “It’s very disappointing to have to experience something like this in this day and age. It’s not acceptable. I hope this person reflects on their actions.”
Head coach Miron Muslic was equally forceful in his post-match comments: “I’m disgusted by such comments. We can’t simply file this away after 120 minutes of football. This is an issue that has to be addressed. Chris told the team he had been racially abused, and as players and staff we tried to support him as best we could.”
Muslic emphasised the wider issue within the stadium, adding: “We have to fight racism clearly and decisively. Too often it’s downplayed as the actions of a lone individual. I believe the whole stadium sensed what had happened, and yet they whistled.”
Captain Kenan Karaman also condemned the events, stressing that the players would not have carried on if the situation had continued: “This incident overshadowed the whole game. I realised straight away that something was wrong and signalled to the referee that we couldn’t keep playing under those circumstances. If it had carried on, we wouldn’t have continued. The referee reacted well, stopped the game and waited for a stadium announcement. Racism has no place in sport, or anywhere else.”
This incident was not an isolated flashpoint as on the same day, a Kaiserslautern player warming up in Potsdam was also racially abused, highlighting how deep-rooted the problem remains in German football.
ألمانيا‘s “three-step protocol,” pause, potential suspension, and abandonment, is designed to protect players, but too often the ثقافة around stadiums allows abuse to be dismissed as the actions of “a lone idiot.” Schalke head coach Muslic challenged that view directly, insisting that the Leipzig crowd’s hostile whistles showed complicity beyond one voice.
Schalke’s response was also framed by their long history of anti-racism work. In 1994, they became the first الدوري الألماني club to enshrine opposition to discrimination in their statutes. Today, their #STEHTAUF initiative coordinates awareness weeks, partners with league-wide campaigns like “!Nie Wieder”, and makes clear that hate has no place in football.
The Ghana international Antwi-Adjei has reported the incident to police, with investigations now underway. Schalke expect decisive action in identifying the perpetrator and remain committed to pursuing accountability.
