African Footballer Attacked, Racially Abused in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: A mob attack and racial slur against a soccer player from the West African country Ivory Coast has brought a bad name to Areecode which is known as the Mecca of football in Kerala.

The incident which took place on Sunday came to light after the visuals of the assault went viral on social media the other day. Hassan Jr, an Ivory Coast national who was playing for a local club, was targeted by a section of spectators who allegedly hurled racial slurs at him during the match held at Chemrakattoor in Areekode.

A section of locals alleged that Hassan first manhandled a spectator which provoked others. Soon a group of people chased the Ivory Coast player on the ground and caught hold of him. He was rained with blows and kicks before a couple of people came to his rescue. The video footage of the assault went viral on social media.

Hassan Jr came to the District SP office personally on Wednesday morning and handed over the complaint in which he accused a section of spectators of assault and racial slur. The player also submitted the footage of the attack to the police.

The SP has assured the player that strict action would be taken against those who brutally assaulted him and hurled racial abuse. He directed the local police to examine the video footage circulating on social media.

A special cell has been constituted at Areekode police station to probe the matter. The player has also complained to the Ivory Coast Embassy in Delhi.

Lucrative offers draw African players to Kerala

Many players from Africa come to Kerala to play Sevens and Fives, a popular form of football played in Kerala with seven-a-side or five-a-side teams. These players are mainly brought by managers of local teams to play for the annual sevens-fives season which usually begins in November and goes up till June-July.

About 200 players drawn from the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, Senegal, and Papua New Guinea play for local teams in the Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. The African players get attracted to local tournaments because of lucrative offers and the popularity of the game in this part of the world.

A newcomer earns Rs 2500 a match while the fee for star players could go up to Rs 25,000 to 30,000 per game.

There are nearly 100 tournaments organized by the football association and 300 to 400 unrecognized tournaments. So foreign players have a lot of opportunities to play and make money.

According to a local organizer, many foreign players earn Rs 4 to 5 lakh and even more each season. Most players are from poor economic backgrounds and for their families back home the money earned by them comes in good stead.

Sevens tournaments are played in packed stadiums. Top players like I M Vijayan, Jo Paul Ancheri, Ashique Kruniyan, and Anas Edathodika have played in the shorter format.

“Sudani from Nigeria '', a film about an African Sevens player who is stranded in a Malapuram village because of injury, was a big hit in Kerala. The film also bagged the best feature film in Malayalam at the National Film Awards in 2019.