Racism incident in the cup: Schalke's Antwi-Adjei faces charges

After the racism incident in the cup match between Lok Leipzig and FC Schalke 04, Christopher Antwi-Adjei has filed a complaint and the police have started an investigation. This is according to a Schalke club statement.

On Sunday afternoon, Schalke professional Antwi-Adjei had made a racist insult against him from the stands known to the referees after around a quarter of an hour. Referee Max Burda interrupted the match for a few minutes with the score at 0-0. After a reminder from the stadium announcer that discriminatory shouts were to be avoided, the match was resumed. From then on, Antwi-Adjei was booed by numerous Lok fans every time he touched the ball.

Single shout, but collective whistling

"That doesn't work, not in this day and age, not at all. Fucking niggers were shouted," said the Hagen-born attacking player after the 1:0 labor victory after extra time in Saxony: "Not everyone said it either. For me it was an isolated call. I hope the person thinks about those words again." Again and again, black players in particular are the victims of racism in soccer stadiums.

After the Lok spokesman had told the TV channel Sky during the half-time break that the racist insult could not yet be "verified", the North-East regional league champions apologized on Sunday evening.

Schalke coach emphasizes: "It's not an individual"

"We are not at all proud of the racist insult that Schalke player Christopher Antwi-Adjei was subjected to in the 15th minute. We are not at all proud of the racist insult that Schalke player Christopher Antwi-Adjei was subjected to by a spectator in the 15th minute," wrote Lok in a statement on the club's website: "On behalf of the entire 1. FC Lok Leipzig, we would like to formally apologize to Christopher Antwi-Adjei and FC Schalke 04!"

However, Schalke coach Miron Muslic refuted the lone offender theory in the press conference. "I have to ask again, because we always trivialize: individual. I think the whole stadium already had a feeling as to why the game was interrupted - and the whole stadium blew the whistle. It's not an individual," said the Austrian with Bosnian roots: "But unfortunately, it's so common that people trivialize it and then dismiss it as 'an idiot'. I don't see it that way and I want to emphasize that."

Schalke captain Kenan Karaman confirmed that the second division club would have left the pitch at the Bruno Plache Stadium if further racist incidents had occurred during the match. "If it had gone on like that, we wouldn't have continued playing," said the Turk.