Germany game in Rostock will go on, says football boss

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Monday September 18, 2006

Leipzig, Germany- Germany's friendly international against Georgia in Rostock next month is in no danger of being called off despite racist chants at a recent game in the city against national striker Gerald Asamoah. Theo Zwanziger, president of the German Football Federation (DFB), said in an interview published Monday he thought for "two seconds" about calling the match off, before dismissing the idea.

Asamoah, who left Ghana for Germany as a boy, was taunted while playing for Schalke 04 in a recent cup match at Hansa Rostock's amateur reserve side. Home fans made monkey noises when the player - a member of Germany's World Cup squad - was near the ball.

Asked whether consideration had been made to calling off Germany's match against Georgia in the northeastern city on October 7, Zwanziger told the daily Leipziger Volkszeitung: "Quite honestly, I thought about it for two seconds. But then you have to consider: who would be affected by this decision?

"We would have hit many people who have nothing to do with rightwing radicalism."

However Zwanziger said he expected "far stronger measures" by the clubs against any incidents of racism at football grounds.

In an interview with the Tagesspiegel daily on Sunday, Zwanziger said clubs had to take their share of the blame for incidents of racism and could be punished severely by the DFB.

"The clubs are also implicated. They can no longer talk their way out of it by saying radical-right and racist incidents are the work of a few troublemakers.

"They bear the responsibility and have to live with the consequences - up to the loss of points."

In a further incident Saturday, the referee threatened to stop the Bundesliga match between Alemannia Aachen and Borussia Moenchengladbach after shouts of "asylum seeker" could be heard from Aachen fans directed at the visitors' Brazilian striker Kahe.

Referee Michael Weiner instructed the stadium announcer to warn spectators he would take both teams off if he heard the word again.

German referees head Volker Roth praised the referee's action, saying: "The decision from Mr. Weiner was completely right. Racism doesn't belong in a football stadium - that's why the referees were told again not to tolerate such smears."

Roth said he believed Saturday's racist chanting was a copycat incident triggered by what happened to Asamoah.

Hansa Rostock have been fined 20,000 euros (25,000 dollars) following the abuse of Asamoah. The club's amateur side has also been ordered to play a league match on September 30 at an empty stadium.

Zwanziger meanwhile said the international match in Rostock would be another signal for football in the eastern region of Germany.

"The east is football country, that was so before East Germany, during East Germany and afterwards. If you renounce this (football) country you damage football as a whole in Germany," he said.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur