Liverpool issue statement as U18s walk off pitch twice in protest after alleged racism

Liverpool have issued a statement calling for an investigation after their under-18s took action over alleged racial abuse in Germany.

On Friday during their opening match of the Bundesliga Cup youth tournament against Hoffenheim, a player said he was the target of racial abuse and this resulted in the team walking off the pitch.

Then on Saturday the team left the field in protest after the same player said he was abused during a game against Frankfurt and this resulted in the match being abandoned.

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With regard to the two incidents, a statement from Liverpool, as per the BBC, reads:

"Liverpool FC can confirm that a member of our under-18s team reported he was racially abused by an opponent while playing in the Bundesliga Cup youth tournament at Schwabisch Hall in Germany on Friday.

"The player immediately alerted the match official, his team-mates and our coaching staff. Consequently, LFC’s management team decided to stop the game and leave the pitch together.

"In a further incident, the same player was the target of abuse during a fixture in the tournament today. Again, the player alerted his team-mates and coaching staff and our management team opted to leave the pitch once more."

Frankfurt sporting director: The incident was a "misunderstanding"

Frankfurt sporting director Timmo Hardung has revealed that having spoken to the accused player from his club, the incident was a "misunderstanding".

"We can rule out racism. It is a linguistic issue," Hardung told German newspaper Bild.

"We therefore hope that we have also cleared up the misunderstanding with the players concerned and those responsible at Liverpool FC."

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