As reported by The Athletic and confirmed by the club, Werder Bremen have cancelled their tour of the United States this summer due to safety reasons. 

The Bundesliga club were planning on playing two friendly matches between Minnesota and Detroit in May. However, due to the current political unrest and safety concerns for citizens in the region, the club is no longer willing to travel. 

A spokesperson for Werder Bremen also cited the recent actions of the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, otherwise known as ICE, as part of their reasoning. 

Last month, U.S federal agents shot dead Renee Good and Alex Pretti in the city of Minneapolis. 

The club went on to explain: “In Minnesota, two people were shot dead by state authorities. Playing in a city where there is unrest and people are being shot does not fit our values. That will not happen with us.”

The spokesperson continued:

“It is no longer known with which players you can still enter the USA due to the tightened entry conditions, which demand, among other things, for a review of the social media profiles of the past five years.”

It’s unclear whether Bremen will go on an end-of-season tour outside of German. A number of their players will also be away on international duty, so the club may take time to give other professionals a rest.