Court Orders NPD's Racist World Cup Photo to be Pulled
April 6, 2006A German court on Thursday ordered the neo-Nazi NPD party to pull a racist photo of German international midfielder Patrick Owomoyela, whose father is Nigerian, from their World Cup brochure.
The decision follows a complaint lodged by the 26-year-old player and the German football federation against the NPD for incitement of racial hatred after a photo of Owomoyela, wearing the white jersey of the German national team, was printed in their brochure with a caption: "White. Not just the color of the jersey! For a real NATIONAL team!"
Owomoyela, whose mother is German, is also claiming damages and interest.
The NPD party also risks a fine of 250,000 euros ($308,000).
FIFA, football's world governing body, have warned national federations that they will be punished for any incidents of racism during World Cup matches from June 9-July 9.
The NPD plan to organize several demonstrations during the World Cup and are planning to march on June 10 in Gelsenkirchen, one of the host towns.