Soccer Player Strikes Over ‘Racial Abuse’
November 2, 2007 by Jyle Dupuis
Filed under News, Players, Rumors
A soccer player from FC Brussels has walked out on his team after being “racially abused by the Belgian club’s president Johan Vermeersch.”
Zola Matumona has put together a team of lawyers who are filing an official complaint over what is being described as “racist and xenophobic abuse dished out in front of players and coaching staff.” The Congolese player reports specific incidents where coach Vermeersch told him to get his head in the game and forget about “trees and bananas.”
The complaint is coming at a cost for FC Brussels who has reported that South Korean car manufacturer, KIA has withdrawn their sponsorship. KIA officials has told reporters that they “don’t want to be associated in any way with racism.”
“This incident is such that we can no longer have our image associated with the Brussels club,” said Kia’s regional manager Benoit Morenne to the Belga news agency.
Source: SoccerNews.com
Tags: zola matumona, fc brussels, racism
