His gesture made the rounds on social networks. Beaten Monday in the first round of the junior tournament in Accra (Ghana), Michael Kouame had slapped his opponent at the end of the match. The young Frenchman (15) returned on Wednesday to the reasons for this slap and apologized.
He struggled to accept defeat. Especially after being insulted by the public for much of the encounter. When shaking hands with his opponent Raphaël Nii Ankrah once the game was over, he then lost his temper. Without the winner of the meeting expecting it, Michael Kouame, seeded n°1, gave him a violent slap. His gesture sparked scuffles and people present around the court tried to attack the Frenchman.
Two days later, he returned to his “completely unacceptable” gesture, explaining that he broke down “after an extremely frustrating and difficult match” during which he was the target of many invectives from spectators who came to support the player. local. “During the match, I was repeatedly verbally abused by many people in the audience, including insults against my mother,” he said in a message posted on his Instagram account.
“But that does not excuse my behavior,” added Michael Kouame, who “publicly” apologized to Raphaël Nii Ankrah. And he is ready to accept “all the consequences (…) from the ITF”. The International Federation, on which the junior circuit depends, has not yet pronounced a sanction against the Frenchman.