Montpellier deny 'racism' allegations in Fowler's book
The French side Montpellier rejected claims featured in a publication by ex-player Mary Fowler on Thursday, stressing that racism represents a grave issue which must not be misused.
In her recently published book titled "Bloom", the 22 year old detailed her dissatisfaction while at the club in southern France and alleged that a fellow team member presented her along with another black teammate bananas as parting presents.
The Australian, who departed Montpellier in 2022 and currently features for Manchester City, described a team event following their last home fixture of the 2021/22 campaign where blooms were distributed to players leaving the squad.
However, she noted that neither she nor her teammate, the Dutch forward Ashleigh Weerden, received any recognition during the proceedings.
"Later, once we returned to the locker area, several colleagues wondered aloud why we had not been given flowers. We simply raised our shoulders, equally bewildered," she recounted.
"Some of the players chuckled over the matter, and then another teammate approached and passed bananas to my friend and me, remarking, 'Take these instead.' That truly capped it off."
Montpellier, which transferred ownership of its women's squad in October, issued a statement on Thursday expressing shock at learning on the previous day of the assertions in Mary Fowler's personal memoir.
The team clarified that blossoms were awarded solely to two athletes whose deals were concluding, a situation not applicable to Fowler or Weerden.
"Thus, it would have seemed insensitive for the organisation to provide farewell tokens," the club reasoned.
They further refuted the supposed incidents occurring privately in the changing area post game concerning the bananas.
"Upon discussions with individuals who were there that day, no proof exists to support her statements or to pinpoint the claimed individual responsible," the club asserted.
Montpellier indicated that given these charges, they intend to prioritise upholding facts against slander and will pursue every available legal avenue if required.
"Racism constitutes a profound concern which should never be manipulated," Montpellier emphasised.