Regretful incident: Discrimination within the European Parliament
In a regrettable incident during the EuroBasket 2025 game between Germany and Lithuania, Dennis Schröder, captain of the German team, was subjected to racist heckling. The offensive comments, which included monkey noises, went unnoticed during the game but were later brought to attention by Schröder himself.
The heckling resulted in the ejection of two individuals from the arena. FIBA, the governing body of international basketball, swiftly took action, banning one person from the rest of the European Championship due to the incident.
FIBA also provided the relevant footage and information to the authorities, demonstrating their zero-tolerance policy towards such behaviour. The Lithuanian Basketball Association expressed their regret over the incident, stating that it violates the values of basketball and society.
In a post-game interview, Schröder expressed his disapproval of the heckling, stating that racism has no place in sports. His wife, Ellen Schröder, also condemned the harassment and addressed the suspected fans in the audience, wishing them that "their parents had raised them better."
The German Basketball Association (DBB) immediately spoke out against the heckling, stating that such incidents have no place in basketball. Alan Ibrahimagic, coach of the German team, expressed his full solidarity with Schröder.
In a show of support, a member of the Lithuanian basketball delegation apologized to Schröder, and later, the Lithuanian team apologized to him as well. FIBA will contact the Lithuanian team delegation to inform them about the situation and support efforts to prevent similar incidents in future games.
The DBB, in turn, announced that they would work with the event organiser to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. Schröder, who often speaks about his youth and childhood and the racism he faced, has been a vocal advocate against discrimination in sports. Ibrahimagic, echoing Schröder's sentiments, stated that such things have no place in sports or competition.
In the aftermath of the incident, Ellen Schröder made current hate comments public, further highlighting the need for increased awareness and action against racism in sports. The incident serves as a reminder that while progress has been made, there is still much work to be done in combating racism and discrimination in all aspects of society, including sports.
