German pre-season friendly abandoned due to crowd racism

Jul 11, 2026 - 15:45

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German pre-season friendly abandoned due to crowd racism

FILE PHOTO - Cottbus' Tolga Cigerci (L) gestures toward King Manu during the German 3rd Division (3. Liga) soccer match between Energie Cottbus and SV Wehen Wiesbaden at the LEAG Energie Stadium. A pre-season friendly between German second-division newcomers Energie Cottbus and fourth-tier Halle was abandoned on Saturday due to racist remarks from the crowd, as Cottbus player Manu was the subject of monkey noises and was verbal abuse by fans. Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa

A pre-season friendly between German second-division newcomers Energie Cottbus and fourth-tier Halle was abandoned on Saturday due to racist remarks from the crowd.

Cottbus player King Manu was the subject of monkey noises and was verbally abused by fans at the ground in Finsterwalde in eastern Germany. He protested loudly against the insults.

Police arrived quickly and identified two Halle supporters before escorting them out of the stadium. Organizers then decided to abandon the match for safety reasons and over 3,000 fans dispersed.

A joint statement from the clubs read: “Today’s friendly match between Energie Cottbus and Halle was abandoned following a racist incident involving a player from Energie Cottbus. There is no place for racism or discrimination in either club, neither on the pitch nor in the stands!”