Germany left friendly for alleged racist insult of Honduras

Germany's Olympic men's soccer team left the field five minutes before the end of their preparation match against Honduras in Wakayama, Japan, on Saturday after defender Jordan Torunarigha was allegedly assaulted on racial grounds. The duel, played behind closed doors in three 30-minute halves, was tied at one goal at the time of the incident, which according to the ‘Catrachos’ team was a misunderstanding.

“The match ended 5 minutes earlier with the score at 1-1. Germany's players left the pitch after Jordan Torunarigha received racist insults, ”the national team said on Twitter. Germany's Olympic soccer coach and former international Stefan Kuntz added: "When one of our players is racially abused, continuing to play is not an option."

Torunarigha club Hertha Berlin said that "That is the only correct decision!" For its part, the National Football Federation of Honduras said in a tweet that "the situation is due to a misunderstanding on the pitch," without going into details. It is not the first time that 23-year-old Torunarigha has received racist insults.

Some Schalke fans attacked him with chants imitating monkeys in a German Cup match on February 4, 2020. Schalke was fined € 50,000. The friendly in Wakayama was Germany's last before facing Brazil in Yokohama on Thursday. Stefan Kurz's team will face Saudi Arabia on July 25 and Ivory Coast on July 28 for Group D of the initial phase. While Honduras will face Romania in their first Group B match.