Willem II forward Jeremy Bokila says he suffered racist abuse during the Brabant derby against NAC Breda (2-2). After the final whistle, a commotion broke out on the field and Bokila had to be calmed down.
The scorer in the 2-2 draw initially did not want to say what was said and by whom in an interview with ESPN, yet his anger was clear.
“What gives you the right to talk to me like that? (…) I am not someone who gets angry out of nowhere. I normally laugh everything off, but I have limits. I cannot accept certain things. Especially not from a person I do not know.”
“Something ugly was said. Something I can’t laugh about, because we don’t even know each other. What gives you the right to talk to me like that? Then the lights go out for me. I had to have a moment, because I could hardly do anything on the field. In the end, the game was already over, so I had to cool down for a moment.”
After the match, Bokila mentioned a name in an interview with NOS, but Willem II later retracted this. NAC also denied the involvement of the player in question – yet actively named New Zealand international Matthew Garbett in their Sunday evening statement on the club website, which read:
“Garbett does not recognize himself at all in the allegation by the player. According to him, the allegation is based on a wrong perception. This is underlined by statements from various eyewitnesses.
“Garbett contacted Bokila to clear up this misunderstanding.
“NAC does not dispute that something happened and is actively in talks with Willem II to further investigate the event based on statements and images. NAC stands for hospitality and solidarity, where everyone is welcome. The club is committed, including through its social programs, with heart and soul to banishing racism from football and society.”
