Angers, from the French first division, announced on Tuesday the dismissal of coach Abdel Bouhazama, pressured by the team’s poor performance and a sexist comment in support of a player accused of sexual harassment.
“In the face of media pressure and in order to preserve the club’s image and tranquility in the dressing room, Abdel Bouhazama has announced to President Said Chabane that he has decided to step down from his duties,” the club said in a statement.
Abdel 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗵𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗺𝗮 is no longer the coach of the professional team from this Tuesday, March 7. This decision was taken yesterday by mutual agreement between the management of Angers SCO and Abdel 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗵𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗺𝗮.
➡️ https://t.co/Qvv9sTtrBw pic.twitter.com/DEnc3AwgzL
— Angers SCO (@AngersSCO) March 7, 2023
Angers is bottom of the French Championship and has not won a match in the tournament since September last year.
The coach, already criticized in the sporting field, aggravated his situation by making a sexist comment during a briefing with the team before last Sunday’s defeat against Montpellier.
The coach was trying to reassure Ilyes Chetti, the 28-year-old left-back who has only started for the third time this season, when local media revealed last week that the player had admitted touching a young woman in a nightclub and that his trial would take place in April.
“It doesn’t matter, we’ve all touched the girls,” Bouhazama declared in his locker room lecture, according to multiple sources cited by newspapers. West France e The Team and confirmed by a correspondent of the AFP.
The situation occurs after the club president himself, Said Chabane, has been accused of sexual assault since 2020, following complaints from six women, who were his employees at the time.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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