"Deeply shocked": Blau-Weiß player victim of racism
Blau-Weiß player Karim Conte was racially abused by a fan during the cup match against Gurten. Now the clubs speak out.
FC Blau-Weiß Linz's 3-1 victory on Friday in the first round of the UNIQA ÖFB Cup against Union Gurten was overshadowed by a racism incident.
Blau-Weiß player Karim Conte was racially abused by an opposing fan in the final phase of the match.
Now both clubs have spoken out.
"Racism has no place in football or in our society," Blau-Weiß Linz writes in a statement. They stand "for community, solidarity, diversity, and passion. We condemn all forms of racism and discrimination in the strongest possible terms. Such incidents contradict all values for which our club and football stand."
"Our full support goes to Karim Conte"
"Our full support goes to our player Karim Conte. At the same time, we thank Union Gurten for their immediate and unambiguous distancing from this incident, as well as their promised support in clarifying the matter," the relegated Bundesliga side further stated.
Union Gurten expressed itself as "deeply shocked" by the incident in a social media post. "We apologize to player Karim Conte and would like to emphasize once again that Union Gurten clearly distances itself from racist remarks on and off the pitch."
Blau-Weiß Linz hopes that the matter will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate actions taken.
