Bayern Munich Condemns Racism Towards Striker Mathys Tel

Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel has received racist abuse on social media after missing chances in their 3-0 defeat.

In a recent match at the Allianz Arena, an 18-year-old French striker named Mathys Tel had a disappointing performance for Bayern. He missed several scoring opportunities and was eventually substituted by new signing Harry Kane in their 3-0 defeat. However, the focus shifted from the game to the offensive remarks that were later posted on Instagram but have since been removed.

The club, FC Bayern, took a strong stance against the racist comments, stating on their official Twitter account, "Anyone who writes such disgustingly racist things is no fan of FC Bayern. Mathys, we have your back and you have our full support." To further demonstrate their commitment to fighting racism, the German champions wore shirts with the words "Rot Gegen Rassismus" (Reds Against Racism), which is the name of the club's anti-racism initiative.

Tel expressed his gratitude for the support he received in response to the incident. He took to Instagram to say, "Thank you to my real Bavarian family and all those who support me when the weather is nice and when it rains." He also emphasized his resilience, stating, "Being here to grow and every day teaches me something new like today's. It's in the head, it won't reach anything or anyone."

Tel, who joined Bayern from Rennes in July 2022, made history last season by becoming the club's youngest goalscorer at the age of 17 years and 126 days. In his first season in Germany, he scored six goals in 28 appearances for Bayern.

In a separate incident, the German Football Federation (DFB) has launched an investigation into racial abuse directed at Greuther Fürth forward Julian Green during their 1-0 German Cup win against Hallescher FC, a third-division side. The DFB committee chairman, Anton Nachreiner, emphasized the organization's zero tolerance policy towards racism and hostility, stating, "The DFB doesn't tolerate racism and hostility on its grounds. There's zero tolerance. Accordingly, the control committee will intervene and investigate the events."

Fürth coach Alexander Zorniger condemned the racial abuse, revealing that Green had been called a monkey multiple times by spectators. Zorniger expressed his disappointment in the lack of intervention from the crowd, saying, "The stadium was 95% full. There were enough people there who could have intervened. Something like that is simply not appropriate, whether it happens in Fürth, Nuremberg, or Rostock."

Green, despite the incident, remained focused on the game and the team's victory. He acknowledged that it was one spectator who had made the offensive comments but chose not to let it affect him, stating, "But I didn't want to let that upset us because I really wanted to win. And that's what hurts them the most."

In response to Zorniger's statements, a spokesperson for Hallescher FC, Lisa Schöppe, apologized on behalf of the club for the misconduct of some spectators. The incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenge of combating racism in football and the importance of taking a stand against such behavior.