Bundesliga
ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL, JADON SANCHO DISPLAYS A ‘JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD’
England international Jadon Sancho was given a yellow card after revealing a ‘Justice for George Floyd’ shirt while celebrating his goal for Borussia Dortmund against Paderborn on Sunday.
The winger scored a hat-trick in Dortmund’s Bundesliga clash and took his playing shirt off after his first goal to reveal a message supporting the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.
Referee Daniel Siebert then presented Sancho with a yellow card for taking his shirt off.
The 20-year-old scored two more in the game to complete his hat-trick but chose not to reveal his message again as it could have risked a sending off. Team-mate Achraf Hakimi also scored in the 6-1 win before revealing the same message regarding Mr Floyd’s death.
After the match, Sancho took to Instagram to comment on the celebration, saying: ‘Solid performance from the team!! Delighted to get my first career hat trick, a bittersweet moment personally as there are more important things going on in the world today that we must address and help make a change.
‘We shouldn’t fear speaking out for what’s right, we have to come together as one & fight for justice. We are stronger together!’
Former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker appeared to endorse Sancho’s celebration, saying in an Instagram post: ‘The wonderfully talented @sanchooo10 scores for @bvb09 and has a message to share’.
Sancho’s celebration comes just hours after Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram knelt down on one knee in support of the movement after scoring against Union Berlin.
The 22-year-old striker is the son of former France international and World Cup winner Lillian Thuram, who has been an anti-racist activist and campaigner since his playing days at Monaco, Parma, Juventus and Barcelona.
Under law 4 of FIFA’s Laws of the Game, footballers should ‘not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo.’
‘The team of a player whose basic compulsory equipment has political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images will be sanctioned by the competition organiser or by FIFA.’
The two celebrations come as activists across the world have been calling for ‘justice’ over the death of Floyd, who had a knee pressed into his neck for more than eight minutes while being detained by a white police officer, and eventually died at the scene in Minneapolis on Monday.
Over the weekend, protestors have marched in the streets of major cities across the world, including London, Manchester and Cardiff, calling for justice over Floyd’s death at the hands of police brutality.
Police officer Derek Chauvin, 44, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after the death of Mr Floyd who begged for air while being arrested.
Chants of ‘I can’t breathe’ – the words Mr Floyd spoke whilst being restrained by Chauvin – were heard across London this weekend while protesters in Cardiff were holding placards which said, ‘The UK is not innocent.’
Meanwhile, dozens of American cities have been set ablaze over the last week amid deadly clashes with police officers over Floyd’s death, which is seen as a symbol of systemic police brutality against African-Americans.
Also in the world of football this weekend, Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie wore an armband showing his support for the ‘Justice for George Floyd’ message.
-Daily Mail
A masked fan unplugged a VAR monitor during a German second division match on Sunday in an audacious act of sabotage that left the referee looking at a blank screen when he was called to review a potential penalty.
The bizarre incident unfolded during the Bundesliga 2 clash between Preussen Muenster and visiting Hertha Berlin, when referee Felix Bickel was summoned to the pitchside monitor only to discover that someone had yanked out the power plug.
According to Muenster’s website, a masked supporter had infiltrated the interior and unplugged the VAR monitor, sabotaging the review process. German media reported that at the same time, home fans displayed a banner reading “Pull the plug on VAR”.
With Bickel unable to view the replay, VAR official Katrin Rafalski in Cologne was forced to make the decision remotely, ruling that the challenge was indeed a foul, prompting Bickel to award the penalty, which Hertha duly converted.
The Berlin side eventually won the match 2–1 with a stoppage-time goal.
Muenster later said the incident appeared to have been a planned action and that the club would do everything in its power to identify those responsible.
-Reuters
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German football powerhouse Borussia Dortmund has officially launched the BVB International Academy Ghana, marking the club’s first international academy on the African continent.
The academy, which will commence operations in Accra in February 2026, is based at Achimota School and has been established in partnership with Accra Shooting Stars FC. It is designed to provide structured football development for boys and girls aged 6 to 18.
In a statement announcing the project, Dortmund described the initiative as a major milestone for youth football development in Ghana and part of the club’s expanding global academy network.
Young players enrolled at the academy will be trained under Borussia Dortmund’s internationally recognised methodology, which emphasises discipline, leadership, education, nutrition and holistic personal development, while remaining aligned with Ghana’s vibrant football culture.
Benedikt Scholz, Director of Internationalisation and Commercial Partnerships and Managing Director of the BVB Football Academy, said the launch reflects the Bundesliga side’s longstanding relationship with Ghana, forged through former players such as Otto Addo and Ibrahim Tanko.
He described the academy as a “strong statement” of intent and noted that the club’s objective is to build sustainable youth development structures in close cooperation with local partners.
Academy Director Teddy Hiadzi explained that the project is inclusive by design, offering pathways for both recreational and elite players.
“Every child’s football journey is different,” Hiadzi said, adding that the academy’s priority is to provide quality coaching, clear developmental structures and a safe environment for growth on and off the pitch.
Former Dortmund midfielder and Black Stars legend Ibrahim Tanko has been appointed ambassador of the BVB International Academy Ghana. He described the academy as a special opportunity for young Ghanaian talents, noting that the country’s passion for football makes it an ideal environment to instil the mindset and discipline required to succeed at the highest level.
The BVB International Academy Ghana will operate as an official member of Dortmund’s global International Academy network, which already includes academies across Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean. Enrolment for the first intake is underway, with information sessions and football camps scheduled in collaboration with local schools.
The launch further strengthens Dortmund’s footprint in Africa and underscores Ghana’s growing reputation as a hub for structured youth football development on the continent.
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Bayer Leverkusen kept pace with Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich by beating Hoffenheim 3-1 on Sunday with goals from Victor Boniface, Patrik Schick and Jeremie Frimpong.
Leverkusen finished with 10 players after Álex Grimaldo’s sending off with half an hour to play. New signings Emiliano Buendía and Mario Hermoso made their debuts as Xabi Alonso’s team stayed six points behind Bayern two weeks before the top two clash in Leverkusen.
Bayern defeated Holstein Kiel on Saturday.
Boniface scored with his first shot at goal since his proposed move to Saudi team Al-Nassr collapsed. The Nigeria forward started for his first game since early November after recovering from a thigh injury, and he scored in the 15th minute with a shot that Hoffenheim ’keeper Luca Philipp should arguably have stopped.
Frimpong made it 2-0 four minutes later after Aleix García sent the Dutch wing back through.
Then Robin Braun became the first referee to announce a VAR call to fans in a Bundesliga game when a penalty he awarded to Nathan Tella for a foul by Hoffenheim defender David Jurasek was taken back — video replays showed the Leverkusen attacker was coming from an offside position before he was fouled.
Leverkusen’s match was among five in the 20th round trialling the NFL-style announcements, a change league officials hope will make the much-maligned VAR system more popular among fans.
Buendía went on for the injured Tella to make his Bundesliga debut before the break, and Schick went on for Boniface after it.
Buendía surged through the Hoffenheim defence only to see his shot saved by Philipp, but Schick was there to tuck away the rebound for 3-0 in the 51st. It was the Czech forward’s 14th league goal of the season.
Then Grimaldo was shown red in the 61st when Hoffenheim substitute Gift Orban went on for the visitors. Orban pulled a goal back a minute later.
Buendía made way for Hermoso to compensate for Grimaldo’s sending off. Though tempers flared at times, Leverkusen’s 10 men contained the visitors for the rest of the game.
Third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt drew with Wolfsburg 1-1 in the early game.
-AFP
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