Basketball player Loïc Akono left the field of the Arena of Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes) after being attacked by a spectator, who allegedly hurled a racist insult at him. This Tuesday, January 31, the prosecution announced the opening of an investigation for “incitement to hatred”.
The matter will not stop there. After the wave of support from which Loïc Akono benefited, the Charleville-Mézières prosecutor’s office announced the opening of a preliminary investigation for “incitement to hatred in a sports arena”we learned in a press release sent to the editorial staff on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
Two days earlier, he reported having heard a racist slur from the public while participating in the basketball game at the Aréna de Charleville. The latter opposed the Canonniers de Metz (Moselle), his team, to the local Stars.
Shocked, moved, Loïc Akono delivered on his Instagram account. In a long interview given to Parisianhe hears “tell the truth, denounce this racism, and that it does not go unpunished”. Message received by the prosecutor, Magali Josse.
Thus, article L332-6 of the sports code provides for a one-year prison sentence and a 15,000 euro fine. As for article L332-1, it provides for up to five stadium bans. If the author of “get up, bonobo” does not have French nationality and lives abroad (for example a Belgian who came to watch the match); article L332-14 provides instead of this ban on stadiums for up to two years from setting foot on French territory.
On the side of the sports authorities, the two clubs, from Charleville as from Metz, unite behind Loïc Akono. The French Basketball Federation (FFBB) has “at once” opened a disciplinary investigation. Which applies “zero tolerance for incivility, violence and unsportsmanlike behavior during official basketball matches”she insists.