The matter will not stop there. After hearing a supporter of the Charleville team throw “Raise-toi bonobo” at him on January 28, during a National 2 championship match (4th division) with his Metz team, Loïc Akono, a player aged 35, as well as the Messin club of “Canonniers”, both filed a complaint for incitement to hatred during a sporting event. The Charleville-Mézières prosecutor’s office had already opened a preliminary investigation for this chief on Tuesday following the remarks reported by Loïc Akono.
In addition, Mr. Akono filed a third complaint on the grounds of racial insult, said Mr. Xavier Iochum, the complainant’s lawyer. “For us, in this case, there is both a collective and individual dimension,” commented the council. “It’s good that an investigation has been opened, but for the player himself, it’s good that we can also investigate the racist insults that were addressed to him personally, with the hope that this leads (on a trial),” he added.
Akono receives support from the basketball world
Following this incident, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) imposed a closed session on all home games of the Charleville-Mézières club as a precaution. A disciplinary session must also be held in Paris on February 22, at the headquarters of the FFBB, with which the Metz club will be associated. Winner of the Coupe de France in 2005 with Gravelines, French ProB champion with Boulogne-sur-Mer and Nanterre, the leader quickly received broad support from the basketball world, with many players sending him messages to this effect on the networks. social.