Tamper, Finland Germany Captain Dennis Schröder was racial abuse on Saturday during the 107-88 victory of his team over Lithuania in Eurobasket, and one fan was banned to attend the rest of the tournament by FIBA officers.
The German basketball club said that two people were identified as the alleged perpetrators of the abuse and then cast from the Arena in Tampere, Finland. Later, FIBA officials said that a fan was identified by video and should not be allowed to attend the rest of the event.
“Making monkey sounds, that’s something that I don’t respect,” Schröder told reporters in German after the match. “It doesn’t matter which status, insults, that’s all good. But racism simply does not belong in this sport. That is something that is not OK.”
Fiba said it would also meet the Lithuanian delegation to discuss what happened.
“Fiba condemns unambiguously hateful speech, discriminatory behavior and racist language in any form,” said the group. “Creating an inclusive, respectful and safe environment for players, teams and fans remains a fundamental priority of our sport. Fiba has provided the relevant images and information to local law enforcement authorities that continue to investigate the matter.”
Schröder, who is black, heard the sounds while he walked to the dressing room during the break.
“I noticed that Dennis was very upset – and rightly so,” said Germany Interim head coach Alan Ibrahimagic. “Such things have no place in sports or competition. We hope that this will calm down and can be solved somehow.”
Schröder, who plays for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA, scored a game-high 26 points to lead reigning world cup champion Germany to a third victory as many group matches. The Germans are now assured of reaching the round of 16 in Riga, Latvia, regardless of what happens in their last two group matches in Tampere.
Ibrahimagic was responsible for Alex Mumbru, who was sick, for the third consecutive Eurobasket match.
#Dennis #Schroder #confronted #racial #abuse #Eurobasket #game #belong #sport