Werder Bremen: Tim Wiese denies racist statements in court

Bundesliga “Outrageous”

Tim Wiese denies racist statements in court

Status: 20.11.2023 | Reading time: 3 minutes

Tim Wiese in court on Monday

Source: dpa/Sina Schuldt

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Werder Bremen has imposed a stadium ban on its long-time goalkeeper Tim Wiese. The 41-year-old is taking action against this. The parties met in court on Monday. The Wiese side vehemently rejects the allegations made.

Former national soccer goalkeeper Tim Wiese has denied in court that he made racist comments in the Weser Stadium. “These allegations are outrageous,” said his defense attorney on Monday in front of the Bremen regional court. Werder Bremen had imposed a stadium ban on their former goalkeeper until the end of the year. Wiese wants to avert this in court – but without success on the first day of the trial.

Tim Wiese’s downfall was a visit to the stadium at the home game against Bayer Leverkusen in mid-March. A service worker described in court how she walked past Tim Wiese and another man that day with a tray in her hand. “I recognized him straight away because I’m a fan of his too,” said the 20-year-old. She heard that Wiese had insulted her because of her skin color. “That actually hit me hard.” She told her supervisor about it after the end of her shift and was only able to calm down again after talking to her mother.

On the same day, another service worker reported racist jokes in the box where the former goalkeeper was also staying. “I was beside myself and completely shocked,” the student said in court. However, she can no longer say with certainty whether Tim Wiese himself made racist comments.

Werder responded with a stadium ban against the former goalkeeper, who played a total of 266 competitive games for Bremen between 2005 and 2012. “The club couldn’t do anything else,” argued a Werder Bremen lawyer. The club had already distanced itself from Wiese in the past because he was said to have had contact with the right-wing scene.

In the end it should only be a matter of principle

Wiese defends herself against the allegations – especially against the alleged insult to black people. “He immediately said: It wasn’t me, I didn’t do that,” emphasized his defense attorney. The stadium ban against his client is arbitrary. Wiese himself emphasized in court that he did not hear any racist jokes in the lodge and “certainly did not say them.”

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His 17-year-old daughter, the tenant of the box and a friend confirm the statement – they did not hear any racist comments during their joint visit to the stadium. “I don’t know why Werder is trying to push Tim Wiese into the right corner,” said one of the witnesses.

On December 13th, the court will announce how the process will proceed. Further witnesses could only be heard at the beginning of next year. Then the stadium ban against Tim Wiese would have expired anyway – and it would only be a matter of the principle and the costs of the procedure.