Zakaria Aboukhlal’s Case Suggests France’s Witch Hunt Against Moroccan Players

Rabat – The case of Morocco’s Zakaria Aboukhlal and his club Toulouse FC’s ordering him to train separately amid “misogynist” accusations targeting him has been making the rounds with French media intensively campaigning against the Moroccan football player.

On Monday, French news outlet RMC Sport claimed the Moroccan forward had a confrontation with Laurence Arribage, deputy mayor in charge of Sports. Arribage reportedly asked a group of FC Toulouse players to “make less noise during a speech” by the team’s head coach, Philippe Montanier.

According to the RMC Sport report, Aboukhlal “dismissed” the request of the deputy mayor, saying instead: “At home, women don’t talk like that to men.”

“Stunned by the statement, the deputy mayor told the Moroccan footballer he was in the town hall of the city, a place of the Republic,” RMC Sport claimed.

While Arribage has shrugged off the alleged confrontation, telling RMC Sport that there “was no story” to be told about the reported incident, the channel has chosen to stick to its account of a scene it insists put on display the Moroccan footballer’s contempt for women.

“However, we maintain our information concerning this altercation, which moreover took place in front of several witnesses,” RMC Sport said as it went on to decry Toulouse FC’s decision not to severely sanction Aboukhlal.

Further driving home its displeasure with Aboukhlal, the French news platform has since made sure to draw attention to the Moroccan player’s recent refusal to wear the pride-themed jersey during a Toulouse FC game.

As with the incident involving the deputy mayor, RMC Sport has tried to extract a character assassination story out of a group of Toulouse FC players’ decision not to wear a jersey that is part of the French club’s initiative to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.

This was despite the fact that, as news of the pride-themed jersey made the rounds, Aboukhlal had clarified his decision in response to rumors and criticism, stressing that his action had nothing to do with any feeling of rejection or hatred of the LGBTQ+ community.

Aboukhlal said that he held the “highest regard for every individual, regardless of their personal preferences, gender, religion or background,” noting that “this is a principle that cannot be emphasized enough.”

But he went on to stress the importance of mutual respect for everyone’s beliefs, suggesting that others who disagree with his beliefs and values also ought to respect them.

“Respect is a value that I hold in great esteem. It extends to others, but it also encompasses respect for my own personal beliefs. Hence, I don’t believe I am the most suitable person to participate in this campaign,” he said.
Many have expressed support for Aboukhlal amid claims accusing him of being a misogynist.
“The hunt for Muslim players is becoming very worrying in this championship,” a Twitter user said, condemning what they presented as the French football league’s constant smearing or targeting of Muslim players.

“As soon as this LGBT day arrives, it’s the inquisition to check who wore this jersey. RMC adds this extra thing. It’s serious!” the Twitter commenter added.

Another one condemned the allegations, stressing that the person concerned “strongly denies the reported scene, but we maintain our false allegations despite everything!”

Many have joined the solidarity campaign to defend Aboukhlal amid the allegations, launching hashtags #WeArewithAboukhlal.

Solidarity with Hakimi on

Meanwhile, others have appeared to establish a link between Aboukhlal and recent sexual misconduct reports concerning his compatriot and Atlas Lions teammate Achraf Hakimi. For these commenters, both Moroccans players are innocent and are only being targeted because of their nationality and religion.

As they reacted to comments of solidarity with the Toulouse FC forward, other commenters also used hashtags like “WeAreWithHakmi,” a social campaign seeking to defend the PSG star as he faces a sexual misconduct probe.

In February, a 24- year old woman claimed Hakimi had raped her on January 16, when his family was on a vacation in Dubai.

But both the people from Hakimi’s entourage and the player’s lawyer Fanny Colin have strongly denied the allegations, describing the reported rape case against the football star as “false.”

“The accusations against him are false. He is calm and is at the disposal of justice,” the lawyer has said, further suggesting that the rape allegation is an extortion attempt against the Moroccan footballer.

Posting photos of both Aboukhlal and Hakimi, a Twitter user said: “Both were falsely accused and the press targeted them and dug against them only because they are Moroccan Muslims.”

Many have expressed support for Hakimi, including Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui.

“We always need to remember the presumption of innocence. For us and all Moroccans, we are supporting him until proven otherwise. Our hearts go out to him, it will do him good to return to Morocco,” the Atlas Lions coach said in March.