Europe's Championship Squad Regrettably Taints Its Reputation: An Ugly Face of Racism Unveiled
In a shocking incident during the EuroBasket 2025 game between Germany and Lithuania, German basketball star Dennis Schröder was subjected to racist taunts from the arena's crowd. Monkey noises were heard throughout the game, initially going unnoticed.
Schröder, visibly affected by the incident, expressed his dismay on social media, wishing the perpetrators had the courage to do it outside the arena, implying they would face consequences. His wife, Ellen Schröder, also took to Instagram to condemn the harassment, stating, "It's truly shameful how some Lithuanian fans behaved towards my husband with their racist comments. You should be ashamed of yourselves."
The German Basketball Federation (DBB) promptly ejected two people from the hall, and the FIBA security team identified and banned a suspect from attending further games after reviewing video footage of the incident. FIFA later confirmed that one person was banned from the arena for the rest of the EM.
FIBA provided the relevant film material and information to the authorities, and the Lithuanian federation issued a clear statement regretting the incidents and affirming that such behavior is unacceptable and violates the values of basketball and society. FIBA also contacted the Lithuanian team delegation to inform them about the situation and support efforts to prevent similar incidents in future games.
Lithuania's players later apologized to Schröder for the incident, and Schröder's coach, Alan Ibrahimagic, expressed full solidarity with the captain. Schröder himself made clear that he cannot accept monkey noises during a game and compared the incident to racist taunts targeting Brazil's football star Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid.
Ellen Schröder's Instagram post included a statement from the German federation, which expressed its commitment to intervene sustainably with the organiser to ensure such incidents do not happen again. She also wished the suspects "that their parents had raised them better."
The incident has sparked a broader conversation about racism in sports and the need for stricter measures to ensure the safety and dignity of all athletes. Schröder, in a show of solidarity, shared a statement from the German federation on Instagram with sad emojis and wrote "Say 'no' to racism."
