Liverpool FC has responded to the racial discrimination and called for a thorough investigation after one of its U18 players faced abuse in Germany during a game against Frankfurt in the Bundesliga Cup youth tournament.
The same player had previously left the pitch due to similar abuse against Hoffenheim on Friday.
The entire team showed solidarity by walking off the pitch with the player, forcing the referee to abandon the match.
“Liverpool FC can confirm that a member of our under-18s team reported he was racially abused by an opponent while playing in the Bundesliga Cup youth tournament at Schwäbisch Hall in Germany on Friday,” read a club statement.
“The player immediately alerted the match official, his teammates, and our coaching staff. Consequently, LFC’s management team decided to stop the game and leave the pitch together.
“In a further incident, the same player was the target of abuse during a fixture in the tournament today. Again, the player alerted his teammates and coaching staff, and our management team opted to leave the pitch once more.”
Frankfurt sporting director Timmo Hardung said, after speaking to the accused player from his club, that the incident was a “misunderstanding.”
“We can rule out racism. It is a linguistic issue,” Hardung told German newspaper Bild.
“We therefore hope that we have also cleared up the misunderstanding with the players concerned and those responsible at Liverpool FC.”
Hardung added that racism “has no place here” and that they take “such an accusation seriously.”
