'I will not repeat it' - Zebo reflects on 'unacceptable' racism

Simon Zebo has opted not to make public the exact racist words aimed at him by an Ulster supporter who is now banned for life from attending matches at Kingspan Stadium for breaching their ground regulations.

Ulster authorities managed to track down the individual who verbally attacked Zebo from the terraces during the Irish province’s round five Champions Cup win over Racing 92 on January 12.

However, with the matter now closed and the unnamed culprit brought to justice, Zebo has opted to move on from one of the most disappointing incidents of his career rather than reveal the true extent of the abuse he heard.

“I will not repeat it,” he said when asked by French newspaper Midi Olympique what exactly was said to him in Belfast.

“But it did not look good, believe me. I knew that stuff like that might have happened in Gaelic sports, but in rugby I had never seen it.

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“This was one of the biggest disappointments of my career. I was on my wing, I had fun at this match and on the sidelines, my Irish compatriots heckled me.

“It was good…but a guy then yelled something stupid, unacceptable. I did not believe it at the beginning. I had never been confronted with racism (in rugby) before.

“It’s sad. I was expecting something else from my return home. But it’s just the cry of an idiot. The public of Ulster is not involved,” continued Zebo, who returns to Top 14 action this weekend with Racing at Lyon after the Parisians secured a home European quarter-final against Toulouse with their round six win over Scarlets.

“This story is behind me. I just made a statement to the leaders of the EPCR, who conducted an investigation. A lot of Irish supporters that day in the stands wrote to me via social media, telling me that they would give information to the Ulster leaders as well.”

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