German third division club Chemnitzer FC have sacked their club captain Daniel Frahn after it became apparent he was a supporter of neo-Nazi groups.

Frahn, 32, was one of the most important players at the club, scoring 54 goals in 115 appearances in all competitions after joining in 2016.

However, after being ruled out of Chemnitzer's match at the weekend against Hallescher FC Frahn was spotted watching the game with members of the far-right fanbase Kaotic Chemnitz, who are known to have a neo-Nazi ideology.

The club moved quickly to distance themselves from the player and his political views, and released a statement on their website announcing they had parted ways with the player.

The strongly-worded statement said: "With horror we have to recognise that our former team captain Daniel Frahn has turned out to be a great sympathizer of the right-wing and inhumane grouping "Kaotic Chemnitz" and thus caused great damage to the club.

"There is zero tolerance for this behaviour.

"There is complete agreement that Chemnitz FC dissolves the contractual relationship with the player with immediate effect. Daniel Frahn, there is no room for you at Chemnitzer FC.

"Chemnitzer FC will continue to act consistently against any anti-constitutional ideas and their sympathizers."

Frahn also caused controversy in March last year when he held up a t-shirt at the end of a match which was dedicated to a far-right activist.

Chemnitz is a city in eastern Germany which has experienced a number of issues with far-right violence over the last few years, including riots in 2018 which led to several people being injured.

It remains to be seen how the club cope without their star player, with the team currently struggling and down in 19th in the league having picked up just one point from their opening four matches. </s> Chemnitzer FC of the German third division have sacked club captain Daniel Frahn for displaying his support for neo-Nazi groups.

The 32-year-old had missed Saturday’s game against Hallescher FC after picking up an injury and subsequently watched the match alongside members of Chemnitzer’s far-right fanbase, Kaotic Chemnitz, who are known for their neo-Nazi affiliation.

The city of Chemnitz itself has had various problems with far-right violence, with riots in 2018 leaving several injured.

In a bid to distance themselves from any involvement with the aforementioned movements, the club have parted ways with Frahn and via a statement on their website said they ‘will continue to act consistently against any anti-constitutional ideas and their sympathisers’.

Romy Polster, deputy chair of Chemnitzer FC’s shareholder meeting also added: "The shareholders of Chemnitzer FC strongly condemn the incidents on the sidelines of the third division match between Chemnitzer FC at Halleschen FC.

“With horror we have to recognise that our former team captain Daniel Frahn has turned out to be a great sympathiser of the right-wing and inhumane group ‘Kaotic Chemnitz’ and thus caused great damage to the club. There is zero tolerance for this behaviour.”

Frahn had previously been involved in an incident last March when he held up a t-shirt in tribute for a far-right activist. At the time, Frahn had claimed he did not fully understand the significance and message associated with such a t-shirt, although Polster stated on Monday he believed this to be a ‘farce’.

“There is zero tolerance for this behaviour,” he said. “We now know for certain that it was the wrong decision to continue to trust him after his innocent protestations following those actions.

“His remorse back then was a farce. He could not and did not want to take responsibility as a player and team captain in the football club.”

Frahn has played for a variety of clubs in the lower reaches of German football, including RB Leipzig, who he guided towards two promotions during a five-year spell with the club.

As for Chemnitzer, they have picked up just one point from their opening four matches and are second bottom of the 3.Liga. </s> The captain of a football team in eastern Germany has been sacked for displaying “sympathy” with neo-Nazi groups.

Daniel Frahn, who played for Chemnitzer FC, was seen sitting with members of far-right groups during a third division match on August 3.

The club said his behaviour was “massively damaging” to the club.

The city of Chemnitz was the scene of far-right violence in 2018, where neo-Nazis attacked migrants with bottles, tasers and knuckle dusters. A number of men were arrested in a police operation for allegedly plotting another attack, this time against politicians and civil servants.

They hounded migrants and performed the illegal Hitler salute in the city, exposing deep divisions over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision in 2015 to welcome almost one million asylum seekers to the country.

Read more: Chemnitz: How the East German city became known as a hotbed for extremism

Chemnitzer FC said in a statement it had committed itself in a shareholders’ agreement to be a “bulwark against right-wing radicalism” following the events in summer 2018.

It added it had separated with Frahn with immediate effect “due to the sympathy for leading heads of the right-minded group ‘Kaotic Chemnitz’ and the disbanded group "NS-Boys", which was obviously displayed in the guest fan block of the Hallens stadium”.

A statement from the shareholders of the club slammed his behaviour, saying he “turned out to be a great sympathizer of the right-wing radical and inhuman group ‘Kaotic Chemnitz’”.

Frahn was caught up in an earlier controversy in March when some fans staged a tribute to a supporter Thomas Haller, who had died and was reportedly a neo-Nazi. Frahn was condemned for celebrating a goal by holding up a t-shirt emblazoned with the words: “Support your local hools (hooligans)".

The shareholders’ statement said “we now know for certain it was the wrong decision” to allow him to continue at the club after that incident, adding “his remorse at that time was a farce”.

“Daniel Frahn, there is no more room for you at Chemnitzer FC,” the statement ends.

More on this subject </s> The German third division team Chemnitzer FC have parted ways with their captain after accusing the player of “openly displaying” his sympathy for neo-Nazi groups among the club’s supporters.

Star striker Daniel Frahn, who missed Saturday’s away game against Hallescher FC due to an injury, had chosen to watch his side’s 3-1 defeat from the guest block rather than the team bench, seated next to leading figures from the far-right hooligan scene.

Former RB Leipzig player Frahn, 32, was already fined by the club in March this year after joining in on a tribute to a deceased far-right activist and known hooligan by holding up a black T-shirt bearing the slogan “Support your local hools”.

Schalke chairman under pressure to resign over racist comments Read more

At the time, the player had apologised, saying he had acted “in solidarity with the relatives” of Thomas Haller, a co-founder of far-right group HooNaRa (“Hooligans, Nazis, Racists”), knowing that the T-shirts had been sold to help pay for his medical care. “I didn’t know that that T-shirt was so widespread in the Nazi scene,” he said.

In a statement released on Monday, the club described Frahn’s show of remorse as a “farce” and said it had been wrong to trust his words following the incident earlier in the year.

“He could not and would not live up to the responsibility of the player and team captain of a football club, which involves more than scoring goals and letting yourself be cheered by the crowd: namely, attitude,” said Romy Polster, deputy chair of Chemnitzer FC’s shareholder meeting.

The divisions at the scandal-hit third division club, who are second from bottom of the league after three games and face bankruptcy due to crippling debts, have become symptomatic of Chemnitz’s wider problem with far-right movements.

Last August, the city in the formerly socialist east German state of Saxony saw two days of far-right violence that left several people injured. In the wake of the riots, Chemnitzer FC said on Monday the club saw itself “duty-bound to be a bulwark against rightwing extremism”. </s> German third division team Chemnitzer FC have parted ways with their captain after accusing the player of “openly displaying” his sympathy for neo-Nazi groups among the club’s supporters.

Star striker Daniel Frahn, who missed Saturday’s away game against Hallescher FC due to an injury, had chosen to watch his side’s 3-1 defeat from the stand rather than the team bench, seated next to leading figures from the far-right hooligan scene.

Former RB Leipzig player Frahn (32) was already fined by the club in March this year after joining in on a tribute to a deceased far-right activist and known hooligan by holding up a black T-shirt bearing the slogan “Support your local hools”.

At the time, the player had apologised, saying he had acted “in solidarity with the relatives” of Thomas Haller, a co-founder of far-right group HooNaRa (“Hooligans, Nazis, Racists”), knowing that the T-shirts had been sold to help pay for his medical care. “I didn’t know that that T-shirt was so widespread in the Nazi scene,” he said.

In a statement released yesterday, the club described Frahn’s show of remorse as a “farce” and said it had been wrong to trust his words following the incident earlier in the year.

“He could not and would not live up to the responsibility of the player and team captain of a football club, which involves more than scoring goals and letting yourself be cheered by the crowd: namely, attitude,” said Romy Polster, deputy chair of Chemnitzer FC’s shareholder meeting.

The divisions at the scandal-hit third division club, who are second from bottom in Germany’s third division after three games and face bankruptcy due to crippling debts, have become symptomatic of Chemnitz’s wider problem with far-right movements.

Last August, the city in the formerly socialist east German state of Saxony saw two days of far-right violence that left several people injured. In the wake of the riots, Chemnitzer FC said on Monday the club saw itself “duty-bound to be a bulwark against right wing extremism”.

Meanwhile, Schalke chairman, Clemens Tönnies, is under pressure to resign following widespread condemnation of racist comments he made last week.

Speaking at a public meeting with 1,600 guests in Paderborn, the 63-year-old criticised tax increases designed to help to fight climate change and then suggested the money would be better used financing 20 power plants a year in Africa.

“Then the Africans would stop cutting down trees, and they would stop making babies when it gets dark,” Tönnies has been quoted as saying – a statement which later prompted an apology.

“I am for an open and diverse society,” he said. “I am sorry for the comment on the large number of children in Africa. As chairman of the supervisory board of FC Schalke 04, I am 1,000% behind our club values. This includes the fight against racism, discrimination and exclusion. On the basis of that I expressly wish to excuse myself. It was wrong, rash and thoughtless and in no way in line with our values. I am very sorry.”

Yet despite the apology by Tönnies the German justice minister, Christine Lambrecht, has called for the German Football Association (DFB) to intervene.

“Racism must be loudly and clearly contradicted at every opportunity,” she said. “Nowhere is integration as successful and quick to work as in sport – that must not be put at risk.”

Dagmar Freitag, chairman of the sports committee in the German parliament, told the newspaper Welt on Sunday: “The fact that something like this is articulated by someone who holds a prominent position in sport makes things all the worse.”

Nikolaus Schneider has confirmed that the case will be discussed at the next meeting of the DFB ethics committee on August15th.

The son of a butcher who founded a meat-processing company that is now one of the biggest in Europe, Tönnies has been Schalke’s chairman since 2001 and is worth an estimated €1 billion. – Guardian </s> GERMAN third division team Chemnitzer FC have sacked their captain Daniel Frahn after the striker 'openly displayed sympathy' for neo-nazi hooligans.

The 32-year-old missed Chemnitzer's 3-1 away defeat to Hallescher on Saturday and watched the game with fans in the stands.

But he was spotted standing with leading figures from far-right hooligan groups who follow the team.

The ex-RB Leipzig man was fined by the club in March after he held up a t-shirt with the slogan 'support your local hools'.



The shirts were part of a tribute to deceased far-right activist Thomas Haller but afterwards Frahn apologised and said: "I didn’t know the T-shirt was so widespread in the Nazi scene."

He claimed he was acting in solidarity with the relatives of Haller - founder of far-right group HooNaRa ('Hooligans, Nazis, Racists') - as the shirt sales were helping to cover the dead man's medical bills.

But in a statement released on Monday, Chemnitzer admitted they were wrong to trust his words at the time and described his apology as a 'farce'.

Romy Polster, deputy chair of the club's shareholder meeting said: "He could not and would not live up to the responsibility of the player and team captain of a football club, which involves more than scoring goals and letting yourself be cheered by the crowd: namely, attitude."

Chemnitzer are second bottom of the league and facing bankruptcy as well as wider issues with far-right movements among their fan base and community.

Neo-nazi groups in the nearby city of Saxony were involved in a spate of violence last August which saw several people injured.

But speaking on Monday, the club made clear their stance - admirably stating they saw themselves 'duty bound to be a bulwark against right wing extremism'. </s> Daniel Frahn sat with a group of far-right ultras during Chemnitzer’s league game with Hallescher and has been sacked by his club.

Chemnitzer said there was “no room” for captain Daniel Frahn at the club after firing him for showing sympathy for a far-right extremist group.

The German third division outfit, who will play former European Cup winners Hamburg in the DFB-Pokal on Sunday, took their stance after injured striker Frahn was spotted sitting with members of the Kaotic Chemnitz group during a league fixture.

The game, away to Hallescher last Saturday, also saw 32-year-old Frahn with former members of the dissolved hooligan group NS Boys, Chemnitzer said.

Such behaviour was “massively harmful to the club”, Chemnitzer said in a statement, adding: “Chemnitzer FC will continue to act consistently against any anti-constitutional ideas and their sympathisers.”

The city of Chemnitz was severely affected by violence involving various groups in 2018, sparked by tensions surrounding Germany’s immigration policy, and the football club has “committed itself in its shareholder agreement to being a bulwark against right-wing radicalism”.

The club shareholders said: “With horror we have to recognise that our – now former – team captain Daniel Frahn has turned out to be a great sympathiser of the right-wing and inhumane group ‘Kaotic Chemnitz’ and thus caused great damage to the club. There is zero tolerance for this behaviour.”

Chemnitzer had previously accepted an explanation from Frahn when, in March, he lifted up a t-shirt bearing the slogan ‘Support your local hools’.

The phrase was linked to right-wing groups, but Frahn insisted at the time: “I’m not a Nazi and never will be.”

Romy Polster, the deputy chair of Chemnitzer’s shareholders’ meeting, said after his sacking: “We now know for certain that it was the wrong decision to continue to trust him after his innocent protestations of his action on March 9, 2019.

“His remorse back then was a farce. He could not and did not want to take responsibility as a player and team captain in the football club, because there’s one thing more than just scoring goals and cheering: attitude.

“There is total agreement that Chemnitzer FC dissolves the contractual relationship with the player with immediate effect. Daniel Frahn, for you there is no room at Chemnitzer FC.” </s> German third tier side Chemnitzer found themselves in hot water this week after having to sack captain Daniel Frahn for 'openly displaying sympathy' for a neo-Nazi hooligan group.

After missing Chemnitzer's 3-1 away defeat by Hallescher on Saturday Frahn watched the game with supporters in the stands.

Being focused upon however, Frahn was spotted standing with leading figures from far-right hooligan groups who are known to regularly follow the team, as report the Sun.

Frahn's presence with the group prompted Chemnitzer to take action, after being forced to fine the player back in March for holding up a T-shirt with the slogan 'support your local hools'.

The shirts, believed to be organsied by the group, were part of a tribute to deceased far-right activist Thomas Haller.

After the incident Frahn had publicly apologised and said: 'I didn't know the T-shirt was so widespread in the Nazi scene.'

He claimed at the time he was acting in solidarity with the relatives of Haller - founder of far-right group HooNaRa ('Hooligans, Nazis, Racists').

The shirt sales, Frahn explained, were believed to be helping to cover the medical bills left behind by Haller.

After seeing Frahn with the group, Chemnitzer released a statement on Monday in which the club admitted they were wrong to trust his words at the time and described his apology as a 'farce'.

Romy Polster, deputy chair of the club's shareholder meeting said: 'He could not and would not live up to the responsibility of the player and team captain of a football club, which involves more than scoring goals and letting yourself be cheered by the crowd: namely, attitude.'

The club added: 'We are duty bound to be a bulwark against right wing extremism.' </s> The captain of east German football team Chemnitzer FC was fired Monday after the team said he showed “sympathy” for neo-Nazi groups at a game.

Daniel Frahn was unable to play in Saturday’s game against Hallescher FC due to an injury. But rather than watch from the bench, he chose to sit with leading members of far-right hooligan groups, “obviously to show sympathy,” the team said in a statement.

Frahn had faced criticism in March for holding up a T-shirt as part of a tribute in support of a deceased far-right activist and known hooligan. He later apologized.

“His remorse at the time was a farce,” said Romy Polster, deputy chair of Chemnitzer FC’s shareholder group, in the team’s statement. “He could not and would not carry out his responsibility as a player and team captain of a football club, which requires something more than scoring goals and being cheered for: attitude.”

The team’s hometown of Chemnitz was the scene of violent far-right protests that rocked the country last year. The team said it decided at the time to become a “bulwark against right-wing radicalism.”

The state of Saxony, where Chemnitz is located, is set to hold an election in less than a month, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany is expected to win big, according to recent polls.
German association football club Chemnitzer FC sacks club captain Daniel Frahn for "openly displaying sympathy for Neo-Nazi groups". Frahn, who is currently unable to play due to injury, watched the club's recent match in the stands with far-right hooligan fans.