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African footballer chased, beaten up by crowd in Kerala's Malappuram. Watch
In the video, a man wearing a white t-shirt is seen shielding the player from the blows.
A football player from the Ivory Coast in West Africa was chased and beaten up by a crowd in Kerala's Malappuram district during a Sevens football tournament held in the region recently. In a video that went viral, a group of people are seen beating up the footballer Dairrassouba Hassane Junior in an open ground.
Meanwhile, a man wearing a white t-shirt is seen shielding the Hassane from the blows. The man is also seen talking to the irate people later. The footballer is then seen leaving through a gate.
The incident took place after the footballer allegedly kicked one of the men, India Today said in a report. However, the footballer said in his complaint that the crowd had racially abused him. The Areekode police have recorded Hassane's complaint in connection with the matter.
“The spectators called me an ‘African monkey’ and ‘black cat’, and pelted stones which hit my head. I was attacked because of my skin colour, my race and I have been insulted,” The News Minute quoted Hassane Junior.
Dairrassouba Hassane Junior was recruited to participate in sevens football, a variant of football popular in Kerala featuring seven players on each team, often played on smaller pitches than traditional football fields. Football clubs frequently enlist semi-professional foreign players, predominantly from West Africa, for major tournaments. Most of these organised competitions are regulated by the Sevens Football Association (SFA). Hassane was representing the football club, Jawahar Mavoor, which was participating in the tournament.
