The start to the Liverpool FC Women’s season has been rocky to say the least. The Reds lost their first two matches in what were considered quite winnable matches. One of the storylines during those matches was the absence of newly signed goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe.
With Rachael Laws out of commission with an injury, the path seemed clear for the German net minder to take the starting gloves. Instead, Borggräfe was not even with the club during the opening weekend loss to Everton. Manager Gareth Taylor only provided that Borggräfe was back in Germany and missing out due to an “internal club issue”. Borggräfe was back with the club the following week, but was only on the bench against Leicester City.
Late last week the news broke that Borggräfe was under investigation by the Football Association for discriminatory language. The incident took place during Liverpool’s preseason camp in Cork, Ireland where staff and teammates reportedly heard Borggräfe make a remark referencing skin color. Liverpool released a statement on Friday confirming that an incident was under investigation.
“Liverpool Football Club is aware of an alleged use of discriminatory language by an LFC Women’s player. The club has followed its protocols to the fullest extent and the alleged incident has been reported to the FA, which is conducting an investigation with our full support. We condemn all forms of discrimination; it has no place in football or society. We are unable to comment further while the investigation is ongoing.”
Gareth Taylor provided his own statement about the situation in his news conference ahead of the match that was to be played at Aston Villa on Sunday. The match was later postponed after the death of former Liverpool manager Matt Beard.
“We are being really helpful and respectful of the process that you have to go through when that happens, so we’re working alongside the FA whilst that process continues. We dealt with it in the appropriate manner initially and, of course, [we’re] trying to support all the players but also making them aware that, as a club, and surely as a nation, it’s something that obviously we don’t stand for. But we have to be respectful of the process and make sure we follow the right process.”
Taylor did indicate that Borggräfe was available for selection again on the weekend while the investigation was ongoing.
The only silver lining to take away from the situation is that the Liverpool staff and players felt comfortable and supported enough to immediately report racial remarks and have the club and the FA take them seriously. It’s a very tiny step forward in a sport that still sees ugly discriminatory language on a much to frequent bases, from both players and supporters.
