Dayot Upamecano from FC Bayern Munich has apologized for his mistake against Lazio and firmly defended himself against racist hostility.
“Making mistakes is part of football. I made one and I apologize to my teammates and fans,” the Frenchman wrote on Instagram.
He was shown a red card after a foul in the 1-0 away draw in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Lazio. The penalty against Lazio attacker Gustav Isaksen led to the decisive goal for the Romans.
The black footballer was then massively insulted on his Instagram profile. “Criticism is part of football, but racism has no place,” said the central defender. Neither in the stadium nor on social media. Racism should have no place anywhere. After the 0-1 defeat in Italy, Munich are hoping to reach the quarter-finals in the second leg on March 5th. Everything is possible at home, Upamecano wrote. He believes in his team.
FCB strongly condemns racist comments
FC Bayern had previously strongly condemned racist comments against the defender on social media. The attacks were “absolutely despicable,” the club wrote on X, formerly Twitter, immediately after the game. “Anyone who makes comments like that is not a fan of our club. We stand behind you, Upa!”
“What particularly bothered me were the disgusting comments on social media afterwards. All I can say is, that’s despicable. This kind of racist mob, that’s not our world. That’s not FC Bayern. That’s what, that we won’t put up with,” said CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen after the game.
The online gaffes against the 25-year-old Upamecano were not an isolated case. Just over a year ago, after his unfortunate performance in the 3-0 defeat in the quarter-final first leg of the 2022/23 Champions League at Manchester City, the Frenchman was racially insulted. Even then, Bayern clearly condemned the comments.