via Max Pixel
On February 24th, Jonathan Diaby sat ready to return to the match between his team, the Marquis de Jonquiere, and their opponents, the Petroliers du Nord.
But when a fan of the opposing team tapped on the glass barrier between Diaby and the crowd, the game took an ugly turn.
A white fan brought up racist monkey pictures on his phone to attack Diaby’s humanity, implying there was a resemblance.
Other fans joined in. The taunts grew louder and more hurtful. Very quickly, their racist insults were unleashed onto his family in the stands.
Diaby’s sister and girlfriend helplessly endured being called “baboons” and “negroes,” while his father was told to “go back home” and that “he had no business in this country.” Once fans violated Diaby’s father’s personal space by picking at his hair, the three decided to remove themselves from the racist situation and leave.
Security never ejected the fans from the venue, since “nobody threw any punches.” Thankfully, Diaby has allies on both teams ready to defend him and his family’s human rights.
The owner of the league condemned the bigotry in a video broadcast, and both coaches are seeking to ban the guilty fans from future games.
Although the incident left his family shaken and Diaby in tears, it’s clear that fans will continue treating Black players and their families horribly unless real consequences are set up to prevent it.