Nicolas Batum and French Basketball Federation react on racist comments towards Sylvain Francisco on social media, calling them unacceptable and showing support to Francisco.
Controversy still surrounds the end of the France-Slovenia game.
In the final possession of the match, Sylvain Francisco went for a layup to beat the buzzer after already shaking hands with opponents in a 103-95 win for France.
Francisco became a target of many vile and unacceptable racist attacks on social media after the match.
Firstly, Nicolas Batum wrote on his X account that he fully supports Francisco.
"Some of y'all are sick, even if you disagree with a basketball play, racism and hate are never acceptable at all. After Dennis Schroder earlier, now this..." Batum started.
After that, the French Basketball Federation also wrote a short statement regarding the matter:
"The FFBB and the French National Team offer their full support to Sylvain Francisco following the racist messages and insults posted on social media. Intolerable remarks that go against values promoted by basketball and the Federation."
Sylvain Francisco also gave a statement of his own on his X account:
"I want to make it clear that you can insult me or hate me for what I did but racist comments were made, and they go against values of this sport and community. Their behaviour is not only harmful, but also reflects poorly on the team/organization, even the country."
"Being hit with racial slurs, being called the N-word, compared to an animal (Monkey), or using slave terms isn't just an attack on me, it's an attack on my race and humanity, and I will never stay silent about it. I expect this to be addressed appropriately," he concluded.
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