'Was called monkey': African footballer attacked, racially abused in Kerala
What's the story
A footballer from Ivory Coast, West Africa, has filed a police complaint, alleging he was racially abused and attacked by a mob in Kerala. In his complaint, Dairrassouba Hassane Junior said that a group of spectators racially abused him and pelted stones at him during a sevens football match on March 10 in Areekode. "The spectators called me an 'African monkey' and 'black cat' and pelted stones...I was attacked because of my skin color and my race," Hassane alleged.
Reasons
Spectators alleged Hassane kicked one of them
Some onlookers alleged that the footballer booted one of them, which led to the incident. Hassane, on the contrary, said that the incident occurred after his team was up by a goal and he went to take a corner kick. In a viral video, a group of people can be seen chasing Hassane as he tries to evade them. The crowd eventually apprehends him and thrashes him repeatedly. Hassane has submitted video footage of the alleged attack in his complaint.
Twitter Post
Video from the March 10 football match
Mallapuram, Kerala 📍
— Shashank Shekhar Jha (@shashank_ssj) March 14, 2024
A footballer from Ivory Coast was subjected to a mob attack.
He plays for Jawahar Mavoor club in Sevens Football tournament.
Footballer was chased assaulted & subjected to racial abuse by the spectators.
Mob also threw stones at the footballer. pic.twitter.com/05C8rXZe9w
Police investigation
Police investigation underway
Authorities are currently investigating the case based on Hassane's complaint and recorded statement. Hassane was playing for the club Jawahar Mavoor in the sevens football tournament, a popular sports event in Malappuram. Areekode falls under Malappuram district. Sevens football is a type of football played in India with seven players on each team, usually on a smaller field than a full-size football pitch. There are over 500 players from Ghana, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Togo, Senegal, and Cameroon in Kerala.