Akanji: Clubs have to talk to their own fans about racism

Dortmund (AP) - The Swiss professional Manuel Akanji from Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund has called for decisive action in racist incidents in football.

"At club level, you might have to try to talk to your own fan club about it and give clear guidelines as to what is okay and what is not at all possible," said the 24-year-old defender on the "Arena" program of the SRF. "I also understand that they can't always control everything, but in the worst case the referee might have to stop the game if it somehow doesn't work anymore."

Akanji spoke on the show, among other things, about his anger and the hope of change after the death of African American George Floyd as a result of a brutal police operation in the USA. "I hope that action will finally follow. Racism will be exposed and condemned more and more," he said. "Racism is an everyday problem, not only in America, but also in Germany and Switzerland," he said. He himself had experienced racism "often in everyday life".

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