Loïc Akono, Metz player in National 2, denounced a racist insult that occurred in the middle of the match by a spectator. A judicial inquiry has been opened. The Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, reacted.
The Loïc Akono affair has only just begun. The leader of the Canonniers de Metz, National 2 club, left the floor in the middle of a match against Étoile Charleville-Mézières, this Sunday, January 29. In question, racist remarks made by a spectator, after Akono found himself on the ground trying to intercept the ball. “get up bonobo“, launched an individual.
The Charleville-Mézières prosecutor’s office opened “a preliminary investigation of the count of incitement to hatred at a sporting event“, told AFP the prosecutor Magali Josse. A crime that exposes you to one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros.
The FFBB has opened a disciplinary file
The French basketball federation (FFBB) for its part indicated in a press release that it had “opened a disciplinary file immediately after being informed of the remarks which would have been addressed to Loïc Akono».
The player received widespread support from the basketball world in the hours following the incident. “All my support to you“, for example, wrote the French international Nando De Colo, player of Villeurbanne, on his Twitter account.
The Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra for her part welcomed “the reactivityof the FFBB. “Racism, discrimination and hatred have no place on our pitches and in our stands“, she explained on Twitter, expressing her support for Loïc Akono “who refused the unacceptable by leaving the field».
Franck Leroy, the new president of the Grand Est region, also said that “racism has no place in sport or anywhere else.» «Sports bodies must take the necessary measures to deal with this type of behavior“, he added, thinking “wholeheartedly with» Study.