Swedish players rallied together and delivered a defiant message to racist trolls who subjected Jimmy Durmaz to abuse after the Germany game.
The Toulouse player came on as a substitute with the scores at 1-1 in the 74th minute.
Credit: Twitter/@GFFN
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He needlessly fouled Timo Werner to give away the free-kick that led to Toni Kroos scoring an outrageous last minute free-kick to get the Germans' first points on the board and keep their knockout qualification hopes alive.
As reported by the BBC, Durmaz, who was born in Sweden to Assyrian parents who had emigrated from Turkey, received threats on his Instagram almost straight after the costly error - with the Swedish FA saying they would report it to the place.
Today, the 29-year old gave a piece to camera and was joined by the whole Sweden squad, who said 'Fuck racism' to complete the message.
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As quoted by the Guardian, his powerful statement read:
"I am a footballer at the highest level so I have to accept that I am criticised for what I do on the pitch. That's part of the job - and I am always willing to accept that. But there are limits and that limit was passed yesterday.
"When someone threatens me, when they call me darkie, bloody Arab, terrorist, Taliban ... then that limit has been passed. And what is even worse, when they go after my family and my children and threaten them ... who the hell does that kind of thing?
"I am Swedish and I am proud to represent the Swedish national team - it is the biggest thing you can do as a footballer. I will never let any racists destroy my pride. We all have to make a stand against racism."
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There's criticism and then there's the level of abuse that Durmaz has experienced.The threats he received are pathetic and unacceptable but it's great to see such a great display of solidarity from Janne Andersson's side.
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