Racist Insults Target OM U18 Players
Olympique de Marseille (OM) condemned on Monday the “unacceptable” racist acts that targeted players of its U18 team (under 18) during a tournament in Reims on Sunday.
“Olympique de Marseille and Les Marseillaises (the women’s section of OM) became aware of racist and discriminatory insults shouted from the stands during the U18 Women’s match between Stade de Reims and Olympique de Marseille (…) in the quarter-finals of the National Cup,” explained the club in a statement.
“Monkey” Insults
According to a source close to the team, two OM players were targeted by these insults and were called “monkeys”.
Alerted by an assistant referee, the main referee stopped the match for ten minutes. Initially, the OM players did not want to continue the game. They eventually returned to the field, but new racist insults were heard after the final whistle, according to the same source.
“The club strongly condemns these unacceptable acts, which have no place on a football field, in sport in general, or in our society,” OM continued.
“Olympique de Marseille fully supports the players who were targeted by these insults. The club stands by them and reaffirms its constant commitment to protecting its Marseillaises and defending their dignity,” OM also stated.
