PARIS — Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol has apologized for making disparaging comments about African players in soccer, although he still maintains they were misinterpreted against a backlash of widespread criticism.
Sagnol gave a question and answer session Tuesday to readers of Sud Ouest regional newspaper when the subject of African players was raised.
“The advantage of what I would call the typical African player is that he isn’t expensive when you sign him, (he is) a player who is ready for combat, but football isn’t just about that,” Sagnol said.
“Football is also (about) technique, intelligence. You need a bit of everything. You need Nordics too, Nordics are good.”
Speaking Thursday at a pre-game press conference, Sagnol tried to explain his comments.
“If by my lack of clarity, or my imperfect semantics, I may have shocked, humiliated or hurt people then I am sorry,” Sagnol said. “The interpretation that these people may have made does not reflect my way of thinking in any way or my humanist convictions.”
However, he said the comments made sense in a sporting context.
“When I spoke about the African (player) who is cheaper and ready for combat, I simply meant to talk about the young African player arriving in Europe with all of his will to win and often to escape from a precarious situation,” Sagnol continued as he read from pre-prepared notes. “Then, since we were in a debate about football, the intelligence I spoke of was obviously related to tactical intelligence. The forming of young players in Africa, probably because of a lack of financial means, or (lack) of infrastructure, isn’t always as complete as what’s available in Europe.”
Sagnol distanced himself from accusations that his viewpoint was offensive.
“In no way did I mean to talk about an individual’s intelligence in the proper sense of the term. Regarding certain accusations of racism, I’m 37 (and) I’ve spent 32 of them in a football dressing room. I’ve never had a problem with anyone,” the former Bayern Munich player said.
The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) strongly condemned Sagnol, as did former Marseille president Pape Diouf, who called for African players to boycott one round of French league games in protest.
Sagnol’s captain at Bordeaux is Senegal international Lamine Sane, who called Sagnol’s comments “clumsy” before defending him, as did club president Jean-Louis Triaud.
Photo by Twitter/@France24_en
