This discourse analysis examines the use of racial humour in a German male under-19 football team, drawing on audio-recordings of interactions amid the players on the sideline and substitutes’ bench during, before and after football matches and training, as well as interviews with players, and team observations. Findings elucidate that, on the one hand, team members utter their appreciation of the cultural diversity within their team in an effort to preserve or raise team cohesion, but on the other hand, they often employ racial humour to produce distinctive subgroups thereby fragmenting the team and allocating and highlighting racial identities.