July 21, (THEWILL) – Liverpool’s Under-18 team abandoned two matches at a youth tournament in Germany after one of their players reported experiencing racial abuse.
The incidents occurred during games against Hoffenheim on Friday, and Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, at the Bundesliga Cup youth tournament in Schwäbisch Hall.
The Liverpool player informed match officials, teammates and coaching staff about the abuse. In response, Liverpool’s management decided to stop both games and leave the pitch. The club has backed the actions of their players and called for an urgent investigation into the incidents by tournament organisers and opposing teams.
Liverpool expressed pride in the player’s prompt reporting of the incidents and mature response. The club stated that any affected players are receiving support from the Academy safeguarding team. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Sporting Director claimed there was a “linguistic issue” rather than racism, but said they were taking the accusation seriously.
The events highlight ongoing issues with racism in football, even at youth levels. Liverpool’s strong stance in support of their player demonstrates a zero-tolerance approach to racial abuse in the sport.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
