The aftermath of victory in the Coupe de France was less mild than expected on the side of the Pink City. The TFC issued a statement on Monday evening after revelations from RMC Sports reporting an altercation between one of its players, Zakaria Aboukhlal, and Laurence Arribagé, the city's deputy mayor in charge of sports, during the celebrations at the Capitol.
"Faced with the serious allegations published by RMC Sport against Toulouse Football Club player, Zakaria Aboukhlal, the club announces that its player will train away from the professional group until further notice, pending the results of an internal investigation. The club will not comment further until the conclusion of the latter. »
Press release
Faced with the serious allegations published by RMC Sport against Toulouse Football Club player, Zakaria Aboukhlal, the Club announces that its player will train away from the professional group until further notice, pending the results of a... pic.twitter.com/DGcS2CBfIh
— Toulouse FC (@ToulouseFC) May 15, 2023
According to RMC Sport, while the TFC delegation was welcomed at the Salle des Illustres of the Toulouse City Hall, Zakaria Aboukhlal reportedly told Laurence Arribagé, the deputy mayor of the city: "At home, women do not talk like that to men". The elected representative of Toulouse had just asked the TFC players to make less noise while Philippe Montanier, the coach, spoke just after an intervention by the mayor of the city, Jean-Luc Moudenc.
The latter would have reminded the Moroccan international that they were in the town hall of the city, "a place of the Republic". Still according to RMC Sport, Zakaria Aboukhlal, rather than keeping a low profile, would then have demanded an apology from the elected with some insistence.
Laurence Arribagé tried to minimize the facts, confiding that there was no subject. "The players do not like too much to be asked to shut up in this way," nuances the elect. Already at the heart of a controversy this weekend because he refused to wear the rainbow jersey against homophobia, the Moroccan striker has not finished talking about him.