Last summer, Rafaela Borggräfe moved from SC Freiburg to Liverpool FC. There she caused unpleasant headlines off the pitch and is now receiving a ban. The reason is an incident during a photo shoot.
The English Football Association FA has retroactively banned Liverpool’s German goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe for six games because of a discriminatory statement. Coach Gareth Taylor made the announcement at a club press conference on Friday. The 25-year-old reportedly made a similar comment during a team photo appointment at the beginning of September 2025.
A little later, Liverpool FC announced that it had been informed about Borggräfe’s “alleged use of discriminatory language” and had reported the incident to the FA. The association then initiated investigations. Now there was the result. The club did not provide any further details.
Borggräfe already played for Germany
According to the Guardian, Borggräfe has accepted the ban, which came into effect before the game against Arsenal on December 6th. Because she has already served five of the six games, the former SC Freiburg Bundesliga goalkeeper is eligible to play again in the first division game against Tottenham on January 25th.
Borggräfe, who is said to have committed to taking part in an educational program as part of her sentence, was last nominated for the national team in October. However, she has not yet played an international match for national coach Christian Wück’s selection.
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She had previously played four games for the U23s and appeared a total of eleven times for German U-teams. At the European Championships last summer, she was the fourth goalkeeper to be part of the extended group, but did not make it into the final tournament squad.
“The team and the club reacted appropriately,” said coach Taylor about the current case. “We have been supporting the Football Association in this investigation. I have to say that the matter has dragged on a bit. I think it has been frustrating for everyone involved, especially Rafa.”
lwö/dpa
