Hertha Berlin have sacked former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann hours after former Germany international Dennis Aogo posted on Instagram a screenshot of a racist WhatsApp message Lehmann had sent him.
Aogo is a pundit for Sky Germany after hanging up his boots in the summer following a brief stint at Hannover 96. He also gained 12 caps for Germany during his international career.
Ahead of Sky Germany’s coverage of Manchester City vs Paris Saint-Germain, for which Aogo worked, Lehmann sent the pundit a WhatsApp, likely for someone else, asking if he was the broadcaster’s “token black man”.
Aogo posted a screenshot of the message on Instagram with the caption: “Wow, are you serious? This message was probably not meant for me.”
Lehmann has since posted an apology on Twitter. “In a private message from my mobile phone to Dennis Aogo, an impression was created for which I apologised in conversation with Dennis,” he wrote. “As a former national player he is very knowledgeable and has a great presence and drives ratings to Sky.”
