French Soccer Coach Resigns After Alleged Islamophobic Incident

Mohamed Bousbaa is no longer the coach of the reserve team of RC Champigneulles (Meurthe-et-Moselle). This unexpected and abrupt decision follows the receipt by his wife and son, both of Muslim faith, of two sandwiches containing pork. He considers this act to be Islamophobic and intentional, orchestrated by people with whom they do not have good relations. They did not even apologize. "Not even a simple apology! I had ordered two sandwiches from people who knew me, but did not appreciate me. When my wife and son took a bite, we realized they had been served pork," laments the coach, quoted by l’Est Républicain.

The club did not react to the incident, which aroused Bousbaa’s indignation, and he left his post. More than a dozen players from the B team expressed their solidarity with the coach by refusing to participate in training and official matches. Proof, if any were needed, that discrimination in amateur sports persists.