Sad scenes after Germany’s opening match at the European Championships.
Due to missed penalties from Youssoufou Mkoko and Jessica Ngankam, Israel did not get past the tournament favourites. For the unfortunate duo, however, the worst did not come after the match.
Racist messages rained down on Instagram and Twitter.
Mokoko sighed afterward: “If we win, we are Germans. If we lose, we are blacks and monkeys.”
“I feel so bad for Jessica, he’s so sad and disappointed. I tried to cheer him up. We’re all the same and bleed the same. What does this all mean? It’s time we did something about this. It’s enough! We have to fight these people, these idiots.”
The German Football Association issued a statement strongly condemning the reports.
The first major refereeing riot at the European Championships is also a reality.
In the first match against France, Italy thought they had a late equalizer after a header from Raúl Bellanova. The ball looked clear over the line as defender Castillo Lukeba appeared to hand-tie the effort.
Only Dutch referee Allard Lindhout did not award a goal. There is also no VAR in the tournament to help.
France won the match 2-1 thanks to goals from Kalimuendo and Barcola.
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