ÖFB and fan clubs distance themselves from right-wing extremist chants
Through a video from a party on Sylt, racist chants to the melody of "L'amour toujours" became widely known in Germany. They were also heard during the UEFA European Championship, notably from the Austrian curve. The Austrian Football Association (OFB) and official OFB fan clubs have distanced themselves from these incidents.
The Austrian Football Association and official OFB fan clubs have distanced themselves from the incidents reported over racist chants before the lost EURO 2020 Round of 16 match against Turkey. The fan club union "Fancurve Austria" stated that no one from their ranks had chanted "Deutschland den Deutschen, Ausländer raus" (Germany for Germans, Foreigners out) before or during the EURO 2020 matches to the melody of the song "L'amour toujours" by Gigi D'Agostino.
However, footage from a Swiss television broadcast (SRF) before the match against Turkey in Leipzig on Tuesday showed Austrian fans doing exactly that. "We stand together with the OFB for an open and tolerant fan culture," the statement read on Thursday. The video recordings were from the meeting point before a planned fan march in Leipzig.
"L'amour toujours" - Racist Chants Banned Nationwide
The racist chant became widely known through a video from the island of Sylt. In the video, numerous young people chanted "Ausländer raus" (Foreigners out) and "Deutschland den Deutschen" (Germany for Germans) to the melody of the song by Gigi D'Agostino. Meanwhile, several other incidents have come to light. The song is therefore not allowed to be played at some folk festivals, and it was also banned from the EURO 2020.
The originally peaceful song "L'amour toujours" is usually one of the songs played in the vicinity of the Austrian national team. The association had even filed a request for the song to be played in the stadiums in Germany after victorious EURO 2020 matches - due to the racist incidents with the chant, however, the OFB and the European Football Union (UEFA) have stepped back from this. The Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino had made it clear that the song was only about love.
Despite distancing themselves from racist chants during the UEFA European Championship, evidence emerged of Austrian fans chanting racist slogans to the tune of "L'amour toujours" before a match against Turkey, as seen in footage from a Swiss television broadcast. This incident occurred amidst nationwide efforts to ban the song due to its association with right-wing extremism and racism in Austria.
