Mary Fowler Claims Racist Treatment At French Club Montpellier After Receiving Bananas As Leaving Present

Matildas prima Mary Fowler has claimed she knowledgeable racism while astatine Montpellier successful 2022 erstwhile she was fixed bananas while others successful nan squad received flowers astatine nan extremity of her last play pinch nan French club.

The explosive revelations are contained successful her memoir Bloom, which was released this week and specifications nan extended challenges she has faced successful her young career, including a shape of aforesaid harm she has worked difficult to overcome.

Her difficult clip astatine Montpellier, wherever she moved astatine 17, ended 3 years agone erstwhile she was among a group that would not beryllium returning astatine nan extremity of their contracts.

Other players besides group to time off were presented pinch flowers, but Fowler and a friend of hers – different world subordinate – received nothing.

Amid disorder successful nan dressing room afterwards astir why immoderate players were fixed gifts and immoderate weren’t, nan Australian pinch Papua New Guinea practice alleges she was past fixed bananas.

“Afterwards, erstwhile we sewage wrong nan changing room, immoderate of our teammates questioned why we hadn’t received immoderate flowers. We shrugged our shoulders, conscionable arsenic clueless arsenic they were. A fewer of nan girls laughed astir it and past 1 of nan different players came complete and handed my friend and maine immoderate bananas, saying, ‘Here, person these.’ That was nan cherry connected top,” she said.

“Since leaving Montpellier, my friend and I person spoken astir that infinitesimal a fewer times. Not receiving flowers was 1 thing, but arsenic 2 of only six achromatic girls successful nan squad, receiving bananas wasn’t thing I could laughter disconnected and hide about. Was it an accident? Was it nan only point successful nan dressing room she could springiness us? Did she mean good by it?

“I’ve tried to warrant it successful galore different ways, trying to find immoderate denotation that it was an honorable mistake. But erstwhile I adhd successful nan galore different times astatine nan nine erstwhile we were near emotion a akin way, it was difficult to spot it arsenic simply a elemental error. No matter what nan intentions were, it near america emotion taken aback and upset.”

The incident marked nan extremity of a mostly unhappy clip for Fowler successful France. She besides alleges nine unit accused her of feigning thorax pains, moreover though they had been notified of a imaginable wellness rumor by Matildas staff.

A Montpellier physio who said English passed connected to nan teen that different members of nan unit believed Fowler was feigning wounded to debar playing.

“I couldn’t judge what I was hearing. Frustrated, I told him I wasn’t making it up, that I’d ne'er dress up thing that could beryllium related to my heart. He informed maine that it wasn’t his sentiment – he believed maine – but each nan coaching unit thought I was making it up truthful that I could get retired of playing successful our lucifer nan adjacent day.”

She says she subsequently raised nan rumor pinch a coach.

“In English, I told him again that I wasn’t faking nan thorax pains I’d knowledgeable and wasn’t going to play until I sewage it checked out. Then he started throwing minutes astatine me. Could I play for 60 minutes? Thirty? Ten? ‘The squad needs you,’ he said. I shook my head.

“It wasn’t a business I’d expected to beryllium in. He wasn’t showing immoderate empathy astatine all. I ended nan speech by saying: ‘If you’re not going to look aft maine past I’m going to look aft myself. I’ll beryllium astatine nan game, but I won’t beryllium putting my boots on.’”

Montpellier was contacted by nan Guardian for comment.

Fowler was yet allowed to miss nan game, and nan nine did supply her pinch checks afterwards that cleared her of a bosom condition.

“I’ve still knowledgeable it successful caller years, but aft moreover much extended bosom checks, we’ve travel to nan conclusion that it’s astir apt a muscular aliases skeletal issue,” she said.

“I’m very grateful that it’s not thing that ended my career.”