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FOOTBALL

DFL asked to make May 1 weekend match free

Pressure is growing on the Bundesliga to keep the weekend over May 1 completely football free – in order to help police forces to manage the demonstrations and riots which usually precede and accompany labour day.

DFL asked to make May 1 weekend match free
May 1 weekend free? Borussia Dortmund's mascot and Nuri Sahin. Photo: DPA

State interior ministers are expected to agree on an appeal to the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), at the end of the week, according to Der Spiegel.

The magazine reports that a draft statement due to be debated at the interior ministers’ meeting justifies the call for a football-free weekend, because “that the night before May 1 regularly involves very personnel-intensive operations which can be critical for the following year.”

Yet the DFL has confirmed that it has set fixtures for Saturday, April 30 next year. It said it had bowed to political pressure to not hold any matches on May 1 itself, in order enable police forces to staff operations concerning demonstrations and riots.

But the DFL said more than that would be very difficult as international fixture plans and television contracts could not be broken.

“If the DFL does not accede to our calls for a match-free May 1 weekend, we will have to consider charging organisers for police operations in the future,” said North Rhine-Westphalia interior minister Ralf Jäger, of the Social Democratic Union.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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