Berlin club protests about anti-Semitic abuse

A Berlin lower-league club has complained to German soccer authorities about anti-Semitic chants that they faced at a recent match.

Players from Jewish club TuS Makkabi in the Berlin district league, five divisions below the Bundesliga, walked off the pitch in protest in the 78th minute of the match at VSG Altglienicke in east Berlin.

They said the referee had refused to intervene when fans and some players chanted "Gas the Jews", "Auschwitz is back" and "Fuehrer, Fuehrer".

TuS Makkabi chairman Tuvia Schlesinger said his club's players were upset that the host team later accused Makkabi players of provoking the abuse.

"It's scandalous that they're turning this around and saying Makkabi players tried to provoke them," Schlesinger told Reuters on Friday. "It's dismaying that no one intervened and tried to stop it."

Football Association (FA) President Theo Zwanziger, who has vowed to crack down on racism, spoke to Berlin soccer bosses about the incident and how they planned to respond.

Referee Klaus Bruening said in his report that he did not hear any anti-Semitic chants although Makkabi players had repeatedly complained to him about them.

"Because I did not hear anything myself, I could not do anything," Bruening wrote in his report. He said he gave Makkabi captain Vernen Liebermann two yellow cards for repeatedly criticizing him.

Berlin soccer federation (BFV) president Bernd Schultz said his organization would issue racism guidelines to referees and clubs this month.