It was an expected reaction. It finally arrives more than two weeks after the fact. This Wednesday evening, Benoit Costil speaks for the first time on the accusations of racism against him. Allegations made by a former and current employee of the club and relayed by the Ultramarines, the largest group of Bordeaux supporters, during and after the match against Montpellier on March 20.
The French international goalkeeper of the Girondins de Bordeaux “contests with the greatest force and the greatest firmness these false accusations which correspond neither to his values nor to his education”. As 20 Minutes revealed on March 23, he asked his lawyer “to initiate the appropriate legal proceedings, in order to shed full light on this affair and the motives of their authors”. In this case, the rest of the dressing room gave him his support and denied the allegations. The club claims to be carrying out an internal investigation and its management heard last week the employee who accuses Benoît Costil.
He will do everything to help the club maintain itself
In this short press release published on his Instagram account, the man with 179 appearances in the Girondins de Bordeaux jersey “thanks” all the people who have expressed their support to him. Finally, Benoît Costil wishes “to reassure the public, the club and all the supporters” of his commitment and his determination to give the best and help the Marine et Blancs to maintain themselves.
He should therefore go well to the end of his contract which runs until June 2022 even if he had a very bad experience of starting on the bench last weekend in Lille. For this first official Girondins match since the incidents, David Guion has decided to start Gaëtan Poussin in his place. A decision as much sporting as political.