Basketball: Offended by “bonobo”, a player leaves the ground during a National 2 game
The playmaker of the Metz basketball club, National 2, decided to leave the field in Charleville-Mézières on Sunday after being the victim of a racist insult by a spectator.
Loïc Akono, basketball player from Metz at Nationale 2, reported on social networks and in the local press about the racist act to which he fell victim during a championship game this Sunday.
“I decided to leave the field today in Charleville-Mézières after someone in the stands said, ‘Get up, Bonobo’. And the altitude, I was threatened with a technical error for telling them something, Loïc Akono posted on Twitter. It’s the first time it’s happened to me. I took this position of walking into the locker room and nothing would make me change. It’s a shame coming to this in 2023 but I couldn’t stay on that ground.
I decided to walk off today at Charleville Maiziere after someone in the stands said “get up bonobo” and to top it off I was threatened with a technical foul for saying something to them.. 1/2
— Loic akono (Lockobarber) (@Loicak9) January 29, 2023
Former Pro-A player Akono said the match umpire also overheard his racist remarks. “Afterwards, when I wanted to show my feelings to this person, the referee threatened me with a technical foul and I quickly made the decision to leave the floor. It’s a shame coming to this in 2023 but I couldn’t stay on that ground.
“What hurt me the most is that the referee behind it is threatening to get me into a technique because I want to tell people how I feel. So am I the one being punished for being insulted by bonobos?” he asked on Instagram.
The president of Charleville-Mézières, Luc Torres, “condemned in the strongest possible terms these statements, if proven, because they have nothing to do in a basketball hall or anywhere else”, in statements from the Ardennes.
