Liverpool U-18s Walk Off Twice Over Racism Allegations

Liverpool have demanded an “urgent and thorough” investigation after their under-18s team walked off the pitch during two matches in Germany due to alleged racial abuse. The incidents occurred at the Bundesliga Cup youth tournament in Schwäbisch Hall. The first incident happened during Liverpool’s opening match against Hoffenheim on Friday. A Liverpool player reported being racially abused by an opponent, prompting the team to leave the field in protest.

The next day, the same player reported a similar incident during a game against Frankfurt, leading to the match’s abandonment. Liverpool issued a statement confirming the allegations: “A member of our under-18s team reported he was racially abused by an opponent while playing in the Bundesliga Cup youth tournament. 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.”

The club also addressed the second incident, stating, “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.” Liverpool expressed pride in the player’s decision to report the abuse and commended his “maturity” in handling the situation.

Frankfurt’s sporting director, Timmo Hardung claimed the incident involving his club was a “misunderstanding,” attributing it to a linguistic issue. “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.” He emphasized that racism has no place in football and that they take such accusations seriously.

Hoffenheim, Frankfurt and the Bundesliga Cup organizers have been contacted for comments on the incidents.