Cherif Traore posts follow-up message on racist secret Santa row
Out-of-favour Ireland international Simon Zebo has waded into the Cherif Traore racism row, calling on Benetton to name and sack the teammate who gave the prop a banana as a secret Santa present. The Guinea-born Italian front-rower took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal what had happened to him at the URC club on Tuesday.
“As traditionally in a team it’s secret Santa time. A friendly and playful moment. A moment where you can afford to give anonymous gifts to your mates, even stingy, ironic ones. Yesterday [Tuesday], when it was my turn, I found a banana inside my present.
“A rotten banana, inside a bag of moisture. Apart from calling the gesture offensive, what hurt me most and seeing most of my mates present laughing. As if everything is normal.
“I’m used to it, or better, I’ve had to get used to it, having to make a good face on a bad game whenever I hear racist jokes in order to try not to hate the people close to me.
“Yesterday was different, though. Thankfully, some comrades, especially foreigners, tried to support me. Outside Italy, a gesture like this is severely condemned even in small realities, and this time I want to say mine.
Name and shame the scumbag
Should be out of a job ? pic.twitter.com/xWwcYX99xh
— Simon Zebo (@SimonZebo) December 21, 2022
“I’ve been up all night. Young guys from different backgrounds attended this secret Santa. I have decided not to remain silent this time to ensure that episodes like this don’t happen again to prevent other people finding themselves in my current situation in the future. And hoping the sender will learn a lesson.”
On seeing the message, Munster winger Zebo, who has called out racism in the past in rugby, tweeted: “Name and shame the scumbag. Should be out of a job.”
A different line was drawn under the matter at Benetton, however, after Traore accepted an apology from the club over the incident. A statement read: “The entire team group was summoned following what happened to Cherif Traore.
“The meeting opened with the words of president Amerino Zatta and general manager Antonio Pavanello, who reaffirmed to all those present the firm position of condemnation by the company towards any form of expression of racism and form of discrimination. It then continued with the apologies addressed by all the green-and-white players to their teammate.”
Having accepted the apologies, Traore said in the statement: “This afternoon’s meeting was an opportunity to discuss and understand how what one of my companions did on the occasion of exchanging Christmas presents is purely the result of idiocy and nothing other.
“I appreciate and accept his apologies and those of the entire team. I’m happy with the gesture and I’m sure what happened will make the group even more solid. We are a family and as such we will continue to commit ourselves on and off the pitch, fighting, as we always have, against all forms of discrimination.”
Club president Zatta added: “What happened against Cherif does not in any way reflect our identity and the values that the Benetton family has been carrying forward for years. I’m glad Cherif accepted the apology, understanding the absurd stupidity committed by one of his teammates.
“I’m sure that this will strengthen the sense of cohesion within the group and that such a gesture will never again find fertile ground within our family.”
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Co-captain Michele Lamaro said: “On behalf of the entire team, I reiterate that we condemn any expression of racism and that no form of discrimination is accepted in our dressing room. We are all aware that certain limits should never be crossed. I would like to communicate publicly that as a team we have decided to strengthen our social commitment by embarking on a path aimed at the fight against any form of discrimination.”
Traore later posted a follow-up message to his Instagram, writing that Christmas was a time of forgiveness. “Christmas is around the corner. Christmas is kindness, Christmas is gratitude, Christmas is forgiveness. I speak these words over my life this year and I want to put them into practice.
“We don’t always get what we deserve and I admit it’s painful when that happens. But if you want to receive good, start doing it yourself first, right? The episode I lived through is viral and tonight I want to take this step first. I’m not like who put me through this.
“My Christmas ’22 words will just be ‘kindness, gratitude and forgiveness’. Goodness because I wanna take this situation and turn it to ‘good’. One day I will look back and be proud of the choice I made. I’m grateful for my club, my team and everyone who showed me closeness.
“And I want to forgive, which I admit, doesn’t mean forgetting something, being passive about it when it happened. But I want to lick my wounds and carry on with my head up high with no weight on my heart. I’m ready to start ’23 with the smile and the grit that has always set me apart. Will you stand by me?”
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
2 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments