“Black Eagles” (ZDF): About racism and violence in football

The ZDF documentary “Black Eagles” shows the dark side of football: Racism and attacks on people who just have a different skin color.

Frankfurt – When the Bundesliga match between Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich was about to end in spring 2020 because one of those unspeakable “son of a bitch” banners against Dietmar Hopp had appeared in the Munich curve, FCB boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was ashamed of that “Ugly face of FC Bayern”. This was preceded by a collective punishment by the German Football Association against the fans of Borussia Dortmund. At that time there were outraged reactions why the DFB did not crack down on racist abuse in the same way.

In fact, the injury is by no means more offensive than the discrimination that dark-skinned players regularly experience; and that’s what Torsten Körner tells about in his documentary “Black Eagles”, which will be broadcast on ZDF on Friday evening (June 18, 2021). He begins with a warning: The following film, it is said, shows “possibly traumatizing content such as racist insults, assaults and racially motivated violence”. What initially seems exaggerated turns out to be absolutely appropriate: “Black Eagles” is a harrowing chronicle of the discrimination that German soccer players with dark skin have been experiencing for fifty years.

Documentation about racism in football: Affected people tell their stories

Racism in the stadiums is well known. Actions by Fifa, Uefa and DFB (“Respect”) repeatedly point out this problem. The example of Jordan Torunarigha, who had to listen to racist insults during his Hertha cup game at Schalke 04 in February 2020 until his collar finally burst, shows how fruitful this lap still is; Körner’s brief recourse to propaganda images from the time of National Socialism leave no doubt as to where he sees the root of the evil.

What is new about his hundred-minute film is the concentrated dismay of the people involved. They all act as key witnesses on their own behalf: Erwin Kostedde was the first national player in the seventies to look different from his colleagues, which apparently resented not only the fans, but also his teammates. Shary Reeves, who later became a TV presenter (“Knowledge Makes Ah!”), As a youth player, had to be told by then national coach Gero Bisanz that she had no future in his team; and that statement obviously had nothing to do with her talent.

Racism documentary on ZDF: Football is a mirror of society

But football was and is only a mirror of society. Almost all men and women report potentially disturbing racist experiences from a young age. Their mothers, say Jimmy Hartwig (born 1954) and Steffi Jones (1972), both children of American soldiers, were insulted as “negro whores”; Reeves was treated like a leper at her school. Otto Addo says towards the end of the film that at some point you see yourself as you are seen by others.

In addition, Körner presented TV clips for which those responsible still deserve disgrace and shame, even if one could apologize that they too were only children of their time. When the Jamaican Beverly Ranger was to be awarded for her “Goal of the Month” in the ARD “Sportschau” in 1976, the Vico Torriani song “Schön und kaffeebraun” (“… are the Jamaica women”) was heard to set the mood. . The editors probably thought it was a successful joke, which in comparison to the hate speech in the stadiums does indeed sound harmless; but of course both belong together.

Documentation about racism in football does not require any classic commentary

In a “satirical broadcast” from 1964 it was claimed that “little negro children” would first be whitewashed in paradise. Körner got the idea for his film when he noticed the reference to the national team on a Persil box. The fantasy kicker pictured had a white skin color, the teammates could only be seen from behind.

As before with “Die Unbeugsamen” (2021), his homage to the pioneers of the Bonn republic, Körner does not comment this time either. Only those affected have the floor, and their descriptions give a startling overall picture. The varied and cleverly conceived film follows a certain chronology and in this way tells a lot about (West) German history, but also allows for leaps in time or anticipation of aspects that will only be dealt with later. “Black Eagle” was produced by Leopold Hoesch, whose company Broadview Pictures also produced the equally noteworthy sportsman portraits “Kroos” and “Klitschko”. (Tilmann P. Gangloff)

Racism also plays a major role in the current European championship. The Austrian national player Marko Arnautovic was banned for a racist insult.