Liverpool’s Rafaela Borggräfe given six-game ban after FA finds she made racist remark

The Liverpool goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe was given a six-game ban by the Football Association after being found to have made a racist comment that involved reference to skin colour.

Borggräfe has served five matches of that suspension. She accepted the sanction and was also ordered to enrol on an education programme after an FA investigation into the language, which was overheard by some staff and teammates.

The remark is understood to have been heard while Liverpool were preparing to take a squad photograph during pre-season. Liverpool promptly looked into the matter internally and it was referred to the FA.

It is understood further details surrounding this disciplinary case will not be publicised, on player-welfare grounds.

The Liverpool head coach, Gareth Taylor, said on Friday: “We have a slight update on the situation, in the sense that the FA has now completed its thorough investigation. They sanctioned the player with a six-game ban. That ban has been ongoing whilst we’ve been playing, so effectively she will be out of the running to be included this weekend, but after that she is available for selection.”

Asked how difficult it had been while this case had been ongoing, Taylor said: “The situation is the situation. The team and the club have acted in the appropriate way. We’ve supported the FA in this investigation. I will say, it’s been dragged on a little bit. I think that’s been frustrating for everyone involved, particularly Rafa. But we’re happy now that it’s completed, we’re happy now that we have some actual detail on what it looks like, and all of us can now move on.”

Liverpool will not be commenting further. The team travel to the lower-league side London Bees in the Women’s FA Cup on Sunday.

After the Guardian reported on 19 September that the FA was investigating Borggräfe, she played in Liverpool’s next four matches. She was then selected as an unused substitute in their next five games, before her ban came into force before a loss to Arsenal on 6 December. She will be available when they host Tottenham on 25 January in the Women’s Super League.

Header image: [Photograph: Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Getty Images]