Former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has been sacked from Hertha Berlin’s board after a racist remark to former Germany international Dennis Aogo.
Lehmann referred to Aogo as ‘a token Black guy’ in a WhatsApp message. Aogo posted the screen grab of the message on Instagram story and tagged Lehmann with the caption “Wow, seriously? Clearly this message was not intended for me.”
Lehmann tweeted that he has spoken and apologized to Aogo; “In a private message from my cell phone to Dennis Aogo, an impression was created for which I apologized in conversation with Dennis. As a former national player he is very knowledgeable and has a great presence and brings odds at Sky.”
In einer privaten Nachricht von meinem Handy an Dennis Aogo ist ein Eindruck entstanden für den ich mich im Gespräch mit Dennis entschuldigt habe. Als ehemaliger Nationalspieler ist er sehr fachkundig und hat eine tolle Präsenz und bringt bei Sky Quote.
— Jens Lehmann (@jenslehmann) May 5, 2021“Such statements are in no way representative of the values that Hertha BSC stands for. We distance ourselves from all forms of racism and welcome the action taken by TENNOR Holding,” says Hertha Berlin president Werner Gegenbauer.
Cover Image via Getty