France prop Demba Bamba was the target of racist comments on social networks after Lyon’s defeat to Pau last Saturday, his club coach Pierre Mignoni revealed at a press conference on Saturday.”This afternoon, he responded (on the field) to some very unpleasant criticism on social networks,” said Mignoni after his side’s 47-3 thrashing of Perpignan in the Top 14. “We are falling into a world of imbeciles. Criticism is not a problem. Insults about the colour of someone’s skin, that is different.”I expect Demba Bamba to repeat these performances. I wanted to give him the opportunity to bounce back.”##EDITORS_CHOICE##Bamba, who has won 16 caps for France, said the abuse was “anonymous”.”I was not looking for revenge. I focused on myself, I stayed close to my teammates,” added the 23-year-old.On Thursday, French second division player Ludo Radosavljevic was banned for 26 weeks for racially abusing a Cameroonian player.Lukaku: ‘Racism in football is at an all-time high’Provence Rugby’s Radosavljevic, 32, acknowledged having abused Nevers’ Cameroonian winger Christian Ambadiang and will not be able to play before April 25, 2022.Ambadiang said he had been called a “banana eater” during his team’s loss at Aix-en-Provence earlier this month.© Agence France-Presse
