This year’s World Cup festivities in Brazil have been one of the most thrilling on record, with a strong showing by Ghana’s national team, the Black Stars. However, the ugliness of racism has reared its head at the Cup, prompting international football’s top governing body, FIFA, to investigate a group of men who came to a match in blackface, which is the racist practice of painting oneself black in order to mock Black people.
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According to reports, this Saturday, a group of German fans arrived at the stadium wearing blackface. A viewer of the event saw as many as eight attendees in blackface and posted the images in disgust on Instagram with the hashtags “#Germany.#racism#racists#worldcup.”
NowGhana.com writes:
A Fifa spokeswoman said they would take any evidence or submissions to their disciplinary committee: “If they see any grounds they will open proceedings. Then it is up to the disciplinary commission to take the decision.”
During the 2-2 draw, a German fan with pro-Nazi messages written on his body invaded the pitch and was led away by the Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari.
The European anti-discrimination network Fare had previously submitted a complaint to Fifa over several neo-Nazi banners displayed at matches involving Russia and Croatia.
FIFA claims that it is doing all it can to stamp out occurrences of racist propaganda, but some observers feel the organization is doing poorly on that front. FIFA claims they are exhibiting zero tolerance of any display of racist signs or acts.
Blackface, a form of theater where a White actor paints their face dark to represent a Black person, took hold in America in the late-19th century. The actors played shuffling, subservient roles, speaking in exaggerated accents and involving themselves in buffoonish acts. It was a prominent part of the American theater. Blackface wasn’t much of a global phenomenon at the time, but it has resurfaced of late with White Europeans making a mockery of Black skin by painting their faces as well.
SEE ALSO: Senegalese Footballer Papakouli Diop Responds To Racist Monkey Chants
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View Comments
Here we go again.... Geesh!!!!!... I'm not even gonna allow this to spoil my mood today...
Why do Black people always give the Germans a complex? They feel so inadequate and reduce themselves to caricatures! Pitiful!
Just a shame
Shame on FIFA
Shame on the racist
Nothing new,Germans. are always racist
In 1981,they will not alow me to enter into a bar and the guy just told me because i am black.
Deep.....
I am a german, but I am not a racist. Not all Germans are racists please!
Not all Germans are racist.. Dont forget that by classifying every white as racist, you turn one yourself. Let us not let self misplaced beings tan our judgement
Has it ever occurred to anyone that the "racist" Belgian fan is only wearing the colors of his home nation's flag? His hair is yellow and red, his face is black. As for the two Germans with the black face and the name "Ghana" painted on their chest: they might have even been true supporters of the Ghanaian team with no intention to mock black people. After all, one of the German players is half Ghanaian, his half-brother plays for Ghana, so there is a true connection between Ghana and Germany.
Oh, and the "German fan" with the Nazi messages that ran onto field during the match Germany vs Ghana was reportedly from Poland according to other websites.