At the head of the Orléans football team since the summer of 2023, ex-French international Bernard Casoni is in turmoil after accusations of racist remarks: targeted by a preliminary investigation, he was suspended on Tuesday by his club. The affair broke out with the broadcast on Monday, by France Bleu Orléans, a statement from the National coach affirming that his players “are no more stupid than North Africans”. “I’ve done it in all the clubs I’ve been to, I’ve done it with North Africans! They’re no more stupid than North Africans, eh… I mean, that’s the role of a trainer.”
A preliminary investigation opened by the Orléans public prosecutor’s office
These comments were made during a press conference on September 21, on the eve of a match against Châteauroux. During this speech, he spoke about the support of his workforce for his game plan. France Blue Orléans, citing several players and members of the club, specifies that Bernard Casoni, 62, made other comments of the same nature on several occasions. In the evening, the Loiret club announced the opening of an internal investigation.
On Tuesday, the Orléans public prosecutor’s office launched a preliminary investigation for provocation of hatred or racial discrimination and for public insults of a racist nature, leading to the suspension of the coach. “US Orléans has taken the decision to suspend Bernard Casoni from his role as coach of the professional team for the duration of the internal investigation,” the club informed in a press release. “The professional team will be supervised and directed by its assistants,” the club said. Contacted by AFP early Tuesday afternoon, Bernard Casoni did not wish to react.
Trained in Cannes, Bernard Casoni ended his career as a central defender at Bernard Tapie’s Olympique de Marseille, where he played from 1990 to 1996, with two French championship titles (1991, 1992) and a League of Champions (1993). Having made 30 caps for the French team between 1998 and 1992, he then retrained as a coach and notably coached certain foreign clubs, including several in the Maghreb or Qatar, before taking charge of the US Orléans team. .
Precedents in French football
Before Bernard Casoni, other coaches in the world of French football made headlines for accusations of racist remarks. Christophe Galtier, former PSG coach, will be tried in December on charges of moral harassment and discriminatory remarks when he coached Nice. Comments reported by independent journalist Romain Molina and by the radio RMCwhich the coach disputes, attributed to him the desire to limit the number of black and Muslim players in his team.
Former international Willy Sagnol sparked controversy in 2014 for his statements about African players, while he was coaching the Girondins de Bordeaux. “The advantage of the typical African player is that he is not expensive when you take him, he is generally ready to fight, he is powerful on the field. But football is not just that . It’s also technique, intelligence, discipline,” he told the newspaper South West.
Before him, it was another ex-French international, Laurent Blanc, then coach of the France team, who had made similar comments, revealed in 2011 by Mediapart.”In France, we have the impression that we form the same prototype of players: tall, strong, powerful. (…) What are the current tall, strong, powerful players? Blacks. And that’s how it is. It’s a current fact,” declared the coach, who then apologized.