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The chairman of the supervisory board of the German first division club Schalke 04 last week made widely condemned remarks against Africans. Tuesday night, the club's ethics committee opted for a moderate penalty.
With our correspondent in Berlin , Pascal Thibaut
" The lost honor of Schalke 04 ". The magazine Der Spiegel , by a reference to a classic of contemporary German literature, condemns as most media the decision of the club's ethics committee.
This body decided on Tuesday evening that the chairman of the supervisory board of Schalke has made " discriminatory but not racist remarks ". Clemens Tönnies is suspended from his position for three months.
The latter criticized last week, in a speech, the introduction of carbon taxes to fight against global warming. The businessman had advocated the construction of power plants in Africa, adding: " Like this, Africans would stop cutting down trees and, when it is dark, to make children. "
These remarks have raised a controversy at a time when German football is fighting against far-right drifts in the stadiums. On Monday, the club of third division of Chemnitz has for example dismissed his captain, accused of neo-Nazi sympathies.
Blank check
For Der Spiegel, extremist supporters can only feel encouraged in their positions by the Schalke 04 decision.
The chairman of the German anti-discrimination commission spoke of " racist " remarks . Former club striker Gerald Asamoah said he was " shocked, surprised and hurt ".
The ethics commission of the German Football Federation will discuss the controversy next week.