FIBA banned viewers of European baskets from racist verbal abuse caused by Eurobasket during a victory in Germany’s victory over Lithuania in Tampere in Finland on Saturday.
Dennis Schroder hears racist mockery
The German Basketball Association said two people were identified as perpetrators of alleged abuse and were subsequently ejected from the arena in Tampere.
“Make the monkey’s voice, it’s something I don’t respect,” Schroeder told reporters in German after the game. “It’s all good regardless of identity, insults. But racism doesn’t belong to the sport at all. That’s not OK.”
Later, FIBA officials said a fan was determined through video and was not allowed to participate in the rest of the event. The organization said the on-site security video was provided to local law enforcement, which is continuing its investigation.
Schroder heard the noise when he walked to the locker room during the intermission.
“I noticed Dennis was frustrated, and that was right,” said Alan Ibrahimagic, interim head coach of Germany. “Things like this have no place in sports or games. We hope this will calm down and can be resolved in some way.”
Ibrahimagic is representing Alex Mumbru for Alex Mumbru in the third straight Eurobasket game.
FIBA condemns hate speech, racist language
In a statement on Saturday, FIBA said it will “interact with the Lithuanian team delegation to inform them of the situation and support efforts aimed at preventing similar events in future matches.”
“FIBA explicitly condemns hate speech, discriminatory behavior and racist language,” its statement said. “Creating an inclusive, respectful and safe environment for players, teams and fans remains a fundamental priority for our sport.”
Mindaugas Balciunas, president of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, called the behavior “unacceptable”.
“A event like this has hurt athletes and has damaged Lithuania’s reputation as a basketball country,” Barkunas said. “Every fan should make sure that our support for the team is respectful and positive, not offensive or harmful.”
With a 107-88 victory, defending World Cup champion Germany won its own position in the 16th round. Schroeder led the Germans with a highest 26 points.
