By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Germany beat Lithuania; however, the spotlight after the game turned away from sports, with Dennis Schroder complaining about what happened at halftime.
“The Lithuanians, the fans, they always travel with the team, but unfortunately, at halftime, they made monkey noises,” Schroder said in an interview with German Eurobasket broadcaster MagentaSport.
“And that’s something I really cannot accept. Racism in this world doesn’t belong here. Nevertheless, it was a good game. I think there were some fans who actually had to leave the stands because of security. I believe it was also reported. That just doesn’t belong in this sport, not in football either. With Vinicius Junior, I’ve seen it happen all the time. But for me, today was the first time experiencing it with the Lithuanians, and it’s sad.”
His teammate, Isaac Bonga, was asked about the issue in the press conference. “I was too focused on the game and didn’t hear it”, he said.
Interim head coach Alan Ibrahimagic added when he asked if this was the reason for appartent tension between the two teams at halftime and if the team talked about it in the locker rooms: “I didn’t hear it either, but there was an issue, there were no discussions between the teams, and we haven’t talked about it in the locker rooms”.
Schroder also made the following social media post.
In the aftermath, there was one fan in particular that Schroder identified making the noise, and he was kicked out of the arena, while the Lithuanian delegation had apologised to the German guard. FIBA found him and banned him from the rest of the tournament.
“We want to send a clear message, this is completely unacceptable to us and goes against both the values of basketball and our society,” said Mindaugas Balciunas, president of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, in a written statement.
“Such incidents not only hurt athletes but also damage Lithuania’s reputation as a basketball nation on the international stage. Every fan must feel responsible for ensuring that our support for the team is honorable and inspiring, rather than offensive or destructive.”
The German Basketball Federation also issued a statement from its president, Ingo Weiss: “Unfortunately, today we had to note that as our captain Dennis Schroder was walking to the break, some Lithuanian fans greeted him with monkey sounds, racially insulting him in a very crude way. This is completely unacceptable to us. There is no place for such behavior anywhere, and certainly not in basketball, which is colorful, diverse, and open. We fully support Dennis, understand his deep shock, and will firmly address the organizers to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.”
Photo credit: FIBA