Germany needs an intervention. Our story so far:
* Before and during Germany’s game with Ghana on Saturday, several German fans were seen wearing blackface, mocking Ghana players. Funny, I thought that only happened in Spain.
FIFA investigates after Germany fans allegedly paint faces black for Ghana game http://t.co/LptKBs41DK pic.twitter.com/p0RGC0E8kN
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) June 23, 2014
Dear @FIFAcom why do you do & say NOTHING when racist fans like these show up to the stadium in blackface? pic.twitter.com/FJERy5eDEa
— Football's a Country (@FutbolsaCountry) June 21, 2014
* An exhibition of World Cup soccer jerseys in Salvador, Brazil, includes this Nazi-era one. This has caused controversy for some reason.
* On Saturday, this guy rushed the field during Germany’s game with Ghana. Described as a Nazi sympathizer, he apparently had Hitler love scrawlings all over his torso, and was eventually led off the field by a Ghana player. (The man claims the writings were only his e-mail address and web site url, and he was trying t get publicity to pay for his trip home. Also, he’s actually Polish).
* And earlier, this happened:
Less amusing were the other two racism scandals to involve German football. The first came during Nigeria’s 0-0 draw with Iran, when ARD commentator Steffen Simon – a man famed for his catastrophic propensity to offend – claimed that the Iranians were “Southerners, and therefore not very well organised”.
It was a misjudged comment at best, a disgracefully lazy lapse into racism from an extremely smug individual at worst. Simon was roundly decried for “salon racism”, and forced to offer an apology later in the game.
Racism in soccer is nothing new, of course: bananas being tossed at black players have almost become a staple of European competition. But German fans seem to be particularly acting out at the World Cup, and now FIFA is getting involved.
FIFA issued a statement Sunday saying it was investigating.
This wasn’t the first game in which racist World Cup fans found themselves on social media. During France’s win over Switzerland at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador on Friday, at least three fans were spotted in blackface mocking the Afro-Brazilian and Caribbean religion Candomblé.
“We always take any evidence or submissions to our disciplinary committee. It is the disciplinary committee that will meet,” an FIFA spokewoman told The Guardian. “If they see any grounds they will open proceedings. Then it is up to the disciplinary commission to make the decision.”
So the U.S. plays Germany on Thursday with a lot at stake in the group standings. But these controversies are overshadowing that, and if things get weird with the German fans during that match, it’s going to be huge news. What can FIFA do, penalty-wise? That’s not clear. But putting on an international tournament does come with it a responsibility to let fans know that some behavior is not allowed. So … do you think maybe that when dudes show up at the stadium painted up in blackface, you could, you know, not let them in? It’s a start.