Nothing is going well on the side of the Girondins de Bordeaux. 20th in Ligue 1, the club is now shaken by accusations of racism made by their ultras, in particular against their goalkeeper Benoît Costil. The club supported its player, Tuesday March 22, in a press release.
I'”sacred union” invoked to save a team adrift, red lantern of L1 six points from the 17th, publicly shattered Sunday against Montpellier. The Girondins played for a half in numerical superiority, eleven against nine, before s incline on the score of 2 to 0.
It started with an argument between two teammates, Benoît Costil and Bosnian defender Anel Ahmedhodzic, who were playing together for the first time. Attending this remonstrance from the first to the second, who does not master French, the south corner of the Ultramarines catches fire and shows his latent anger at the international goalkeeper, who has played 179 games with Bordeaux. Costil is then insulted each time the ball is taken.
Costil whistled at each ball touched and insulted by the Ultras! In 30 years I remember that Stanley Menzo whistled by the public in Bordeaux. sad period #Girondins #Bordeaux pic.twitter.com/2W05CBS7dh
— Julien Mette (@julien_mette) March 20, 2022
At half-time, Costil was challenged by an ultra leader, reputed to be influential in the environment of the club taken over last summer by Gérard Lopez. They explain themselves before Costil mimics a gesture suggesting that this supporter is in the pay of management.
The Ultramarines react and evoke on Twitter “scandalous behavior, sometimes racist” de Costil, associating the name of defender Laurent Koscielny, forced into retirement in January and now the club’s international ambassador. Without substantiating these accusations.
Koscielny & Costil are the executives we were aiming for the day after Marseille.
Scandalous behavior, sometimes racist & again this evening when Costil treats the South Turn as “sold” after having unfairly attacked Anel.
These people must leave the club as soon as possible.
— Ultramarines 1987 (@ub87officiel) March 20, 2022
“These people must leave the club as soon as possible.“, then sums up the group of supporters who say they rely on the testimonies of a former and a current employee of the club close to the pro group.
If neither of the two players reacted, the initial reaction of the club was not such as to satisfy them. “I spoke with our supporters at half-time. They were disgusted and I understand them“, tweeted Gérard Lopez after the debacle. At the end of the match, 200 supporters blocked the exit of the stadium and demanded an explanation from the players. The exchange will be tense with some before calm returns after a quarter of hour.
Today’s match was ineligible. I spoke with our supporters at half-time. They were disgusted and I understand them. All employees and staff do their best every day for the team. 1/2
— Gerard Lopez (@gerard_lopez_) March 20, 2022
A belated reaction from the institution
If Costil’s future at the club seems compromised, he presented himself for cleaning on Monday and is now considering filing a complaint, according to local media, which also mentioned a statement of support from his teammates.
The club’s Social and Economic Committee reminds its management “that it has a duty to protect all of its employees, in particular when one of them is accused of an offense without proof to date or put in danger at his workplace“.
Solicited from all sides, the management took 53 hours to react, via a press release sent Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. to a media, in two versions. In the first, she recognizes “the existence of allegations concerning unacceptable behavior and racist remarks which could have been made by club employees“.
To date, no document aimed at supporting these allegations has been brought to the attention of the club which, as a matter of principle, intends to exercise the greatest caution.
Girondins de Bordeaux Football ClubCommunicated
The text states that “to date, no document aimed at supporting these allegations has been brought to the attention of the club which, as a matter of principle, intends to exercise the greatest caution and must recall the need to respect the principle of the presumption of innocence. (…) If such accusations were to prove to be justified, the club would immediately draw all appropriate consequences.“.
This first version combines “the players (who) also want to affirm that this does not correspond to the reality of what they experience in the locker room“, while the second version, sent shortly after, waters down this passage.
On Wednesday on his social networks, Senegalese striker M’Baye Niang brought “a huge support to (his) friends Benoît Costil and Laurent Koscielny in these difficult times… Serious accusations and so contrary to the values of these two men whom I have known for many years“.