At least two players were targeted following the World Cup final defeat to Argentina
French stars Kylian Mbappe and Kingsley Coman. © Alex Pantling / Getty Images
The French Football Federation (FFF) has vowed to file a complaint against those responsible for allegedly racially abusing national team players Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni.
The players, of Guadeloupean and Cameroonian descent respectively, missed their penalties in the World Cup final shootout which Argentina won 4-2 in Qatar on Sunday.
The BBC said that the pair were racially abused and the FFF has confirmed the report while releasing a statement on the matter.
“Following the World Cup final, several players from the French team were the subject of unacceptable racist and hateful remarks on social media.
“The FFF condemns them and will file a complaint against those responsible,” it added.
Following the World Cup final, several players from the French team were the subject of unacceptable racist and hateful remarks on social media.The FFF condemns them and will file a complaint against those responsible. pic.twitter.com/Y4TG65vPJ8
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) December 20, 2022
Coman’s club Bayern Munich have voiced their support for the winger, who saw his effort saved by Argentinian goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
“FC Bayern strongly condemn the racist comments made towards Kingsley Coman,” the Bavarian Bundesliga club tweeted.
“The FC Bayern family is behind you, King. Racism has no place in sport or our society.”
In a Twitter post, Real Madrid midfielder Tchouameni called for unity and noted that it will “take time to digest the bitterness and frustration.”
“We tried everything. It didn’t work and I’m the first to be sorry. I’m convinced that the future of Les Bleus is bright, especially if we can count on you,” he added.
French forward Kylian Mbappe, who netted a hat-trick in the final and left Qatar with the Golden Boot for top scorer at the tournament, was also the subject of racist abuse, the AP cites French gender equality minister Isabelle Rome as saying.
Racist trolls face 10-year football bans
The racist abuse suffered by the French stars follows that meted out to black English trio Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka after the Euro 2020 final last year.
All three players missed their spot kicks as England lost 3-2 in a penalty shootout to Italy at Wembley.
On the eve of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the FFF had to condemn racist messages sent to Tchouameni’s Madrid teammate Eduardo Camavinga, following accusations that he had been responsible for an injury that Christopher Nkunku suffered in training which ended his hopes of playing at the tournament.
