Soccer player will be disciplined after dressing up as Hitler

by Amy Judd | February 26, 2008 at 02:24 pm

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A soccer player in Australia is in trouble after attending a party at a club dressed as Adolf Hitler. Did he learn nothing from the Prince Harry incident a few years ago? It will never be ok to dress like Hitler, no matter how much time has passed.

CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian professional soccer player who attended a club celebration dressed as Adolf Hitler will be disciplined after Jewish groups complained, officials said Tuesday.

German-born Andre Gumprecht, 33, attended a post-Grand Final ceremony Monday for his Central Coast Mariners team dressed in a khaki military uniform and mustache to resemble the former German dictator.

"Hitler was such a monster and for a lot of people, it's a very sensitive thing to be confronted with," Ernie Friedlander, a spokesman for the Jewish community group B'nai B'rith, told Australian newspapers.

Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley said he would be seeking an explanation from midfielder Gumprecht, who also runs a sporting academy for children.

"Such behavior is not only stupid, but is also not tolerated by the FFA," Buckley said in a statement.