French Cup Final: Toulouse vs Nantes 1:5 (Sport1)
French Cup holders Toulouse have suspended Moroccan midfielder Zakaria Abuhlal until further notice after a confrontation that included a chauvinistic remark to a city official.
According to an RMC report that followed the suspension, the incident occurred just over two weeks ago. Toulouse celebrated winning the first title in their history after a crushing 1-5 victory over Nantes in the cup final. The team was invited to City Hall and during speeches by coach Philippe Montagnier and Mayor Jean-Luc Modenk, some of the players made noise.
The head of the Toulouse municipality's sports portfolio, Deputy Mayor Laurence Arrivage, asked the players to be quiet - but to no avail. After she asked again, Abuhlal replied: "In my house, women don't dare talk like that to men."
Toulouse were quick to respond with an official statement last night: "Following the RMC report regarding the team's player, Zakaria Abuhalal, we have decided that the player will train separately from his teammates until further notice. The club will continue an internal investigation into the matter."
Abuhalal, 23, was born in the Netherlands to a Libyan-born father and a Moroccan-born mother. He played for the Dutch youth teams, but in 2020 decided to represent Morocco. Abuhalal was included in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and also scored in Morocco's surprise 0-2 win over Belgium in the group stage.
He did not agree to play with the colors of pride, but did not object to advertising a gambling company. Abuhalal at the cup final (Photo by Getty Images, Jean Catuffe)
Abuhalal already made headlines a few days ago with several other Toulouse Muslim players. Claiming it went against their religious beliefs, they refused to play with the colours of pride as part of the French league's campaign against homophobia and were subsequently removed from the squad for the game against Nantes (this time in the league).
There were posts on social media mocking Toulouse's players. The reason: They wouldn't play with the pride colors, but they had no problem wearing shirts with the Betclic logo at the cup final and advertising it. Islam forbids gambling, and the Quran says, "Satan seeks to ignite resentment and hatred among you through wine and gambling."
- sport
- World Football
- French League
Tags
- toulouse
- chauvinism
- Morocco national team
