Advertisement

French footballer demands apology, charitable donation for being called ‘fat as a pig’ on TV

Dirty Tackle

It's often hard for fans and commentators to to remember that footballers are people too, and not just fictional characters that solely exist for their amusement and derision. RTL Belgium's Stephane Pauwels had one of these moments during Charleroi's 2-1 loss to KV Kortrijk last weekend when he told viewers that French striker Harlem Gnohere (known as "Bison") was "Fat as a pig. He is 15 kilograms too heavy and he's going nowhere."

Gnohere took offense to the comment, especially since it was said on a television broadcast, so he consulted a lawyer and decided to stand up for himself while also trying to bring some good out of the situation.

From Reuters:

In a statement from the club on Wednesday, Gnohere demanded that any apology should be made in public. He said he would drop potential charges if Pauwels also made a sizeable donation to a children's charity.

Pauwels has since responded by saying on Twitter: "Harsh, yes, that's football. OK, I should have said 'a few too many kilos'. My apologies to Bison."

Its unclear whether Pauwels will make the charitable donation as Gnohere requested.