Dhe World Cup final saw many happy faces: the victorious Lionel Messi with the trophy in his hands, flanked by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Emir of Qatar. On the other hand, one of the tragic figures of the memorable game was the French international Kingsley Coman, who sealed the defeat of the “Bleus” with his missed penalty.
The 26-year-old Bayern star is now being subjected to racist attacks on the Internet, although his efforts played a key role in the French being able to make it into extra time. Nevertheless, users called on the Paris-born footballer, whose parents are from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, to leave the national team or France to return to Africa. Other posts featured monkey emojis.
A situation that the English national player Bukayo Saka should also be familiar with when he was held responsible for the elimination in the European Championship final against Italy in 2021 and became the target of xenophobic hostilities. “I knew immediately what kind of hate I was about to face. And it is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop this news,” Saka wrote on Twitter at the time.
However, numerous fans also protected Coman via Instagram. Among the comments was to read: “King! You are not alone. The Bayern family has your back.” One of the most powerful representatives of this family, Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn, spoke up with a comforting message: “After a lost final, it’s about getting back up and going on. Overall, all players can be very proud of their achievements.”
Kahn himself lost the final against Brazil in 2002. After the bitter defeat by the national team, France is now planning a thank you campaign to the French fans for their commitment during the World Cup, announced Minister of Sport Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.
