Meniri to Echorouk : “I was sacked from the Bastia club out of racism”

The former Algerian International player and defender of the French club of Bastia, Mehdi Meniri, harks back in this interview with Echorouk to the ins and outs of his forced departure from the Corsican club after a violent altercation with a group racist supporters at the end of a recent football cup match.  

• Q : Latest news say that you and two other Algerian players namely Fethi Harrak and Salim Arrache have been sacked from the Bastia club … How and why did this happen?
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• Meniri : Absolutely, we have been recently sacked from the Bastia club not for our performance on the pitch but on racism grounds.
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• Q : Several French newspapers have dwelt on your case, could you tell us your own version of the facts which led to your forced dismissal from the Bastia outfit?
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• Meniri : As a matter of fact, this affair was triggered at the end of cup match between the team of Bastia and that of Marianne.
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• On my way to the locker room, I was overtly insulted by a group of overzealous fans of the Bastia club.
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• They flung bitter racist insults at me. I couldn’t on the spot  temain motionless and I reacted angrily at these unwarranted and gratuitous insults and came to grips with this group of these misguided fans before the intervention of some Bastia players who put an end to the brawl.
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• Q : And what happened afterwards?
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• Meniri : After having gone home, I shortly received a phone-call from the club’s manger informing me that I was fired on a definitive basis from the club.
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• Q : But did you bring explanations about your altercation with these racist fans in the hope of overturning this baffling decision?
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• Meniri : Yes, of course I explained clearly the situation to the club managers saying that I had been overtly insulted at the end of the match but to no avail.
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• Q : We also heard that two other Algerian players namely Fethi Harrak and Salim Arrache suffered the same fate and were compelled to leave the Bastia club …
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• Meniri : We have been, the three of us, the target of a racist campaign touched off by chauvinistic fans who exerted a great leverage on the club’s managers as well as on the team coach with the aim of ridding the team of all black or Arab players.
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• Q : Now, what is your situation … Have you received any offers from other clubs?
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• Meniri : Up to now, I have received no offer but I am awaiting the Mercato period to decide on my next destination.
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