Football / Foreign / Sports

Germany’s Olympic football team leaves pitch after alleged racist abuse towards Torunarigha during Honduras clash

The Germany Olympics team’s friendly match against Honduras came to an abrupt end on Saturday when the players walked off the field because of alleged racist abuse directed at Jordan Torunarigha.

Stefan Kuntz’s side faced the Central American nation in preparation for the 2020 Olympics, which begin next week.

The teams were tied at 1-1, with Germany equalizer thanks to a goal from Felix Uduokhai, before the alleged incident took place.

What has happened?

The players walked off the field with five minutes left to play.

The Germany Olympics football team’s Twitter account claimed that the players decided to leave because defender Torunarigha had been racially insulted.

“The game had to be stopped five minutes before the end when the score was 1-1. After our player Jordan Torunarigha was racially insulted, the German team left the field together,” the short update read.

The DFB has confirmed to that the alleged insult was made by one of the Honduras players.

There were no spectators at the match, which was a behind-closed-doors game played in Wakayama, Japan.

What’s been said?

Speaking after the match, Kuntz commented: “In terms of the game, it was very high level. In the third period I was wondering what was going on with Jordan. Five minutes before the end of the game there was a scuffle.

“I ran to Jordan because I saw his gestures. He was getting terribly upset. He said that he had been racially insulted for the second time. We decided to leave the pitch because it was against our values.

“The whole Honduras squad came over to the bench and apologized. That ended the issue for us and Jordan.”

“His (Torunarigha’s) team-mates picked him up straight away, gave him a hug for the first few minutes. He was very upset. But you could tell that he was happy to be with us. At the end, we even joked a bit again. “The team is doing a great job. Of course, it helps when you see your colleagues supporting you. It’s also a strong …

F1 / Sports

Lewis Hamilton receives online racist abuse after British GP win

Lewis Hamilton receives online racist abuse following dramatic British GP win on Sunday; Formula 1, the FIA and Mercedes condemn the abuse and call for action to be taken against those responsible; seven-time Formula 1 world champion is a high-profile voice in the fight against racism

Hamilton claimed victory by overtaking long-time leader Charles Leclerc late on in front of 140,000 spectators at Silverstone.

The 36-year-old recovered from a 10-second time penalty for a huge first-lap crash with title rival Max Verstappen on a dramatic afternoon.

Racist messages including ‘monkey emojis’ and other racial slurs were sent as replies to a post by the Mercedes team on Instagram celebrating Hamilton’s success.

Facebook – the parent company of Instagram – told Sky Sports News: “The racist abuse directed at Lewis Hamilton during and after the British Grand Prix is unacceptable and we’ve removed a number of comments from Instagram.

“In addition to our work to remove comments and accounts that repeatedly break our rules, there are safety features available, including Comment Filters and Message Controls, which can mean no one has to see this type of abuse.

“No single thing will fix this challenge overnight but we’re committed to the work to keep our community safe from abuse.”

Formula 1, the FIA and Mercedes released a joint statement condemning the abuse and called for action to be taken against those responsible.

It read: “During, and after, yesterday’s British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was subjected to multiple instances of racist abuse on social media following an in-race collision.

“Formula 1, The FIA and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team condemn this behavior in the strongest possible terms.

“These people have no place in our sport and we urge that those responsible should be held accountable for their actions.

“Formula 1, the FIA, the drivers and the teams are working to build a more diverse and inclusive sport, and such unacceptable instances of online abuse must be highlighted and eliminated.”

On Monday, Red Bull and McLaren, Hamilton’s former team, also released statements condemning the …