France winger Allan Saint-Maximin has revealed that he left Club América after his children were subjected to racist abuse while attending school in Mexico.
The French winger said he felt it was important to speak out against discrimination rather than remain silent, particularly when his family was affected.
“Whatever your colour is, you don’t have to accept this,” Saint-Maximin said on Friday.
The 29-year-old, who is now with Charlotte FC, previously made his feelings clear in an Instagram post in January, stating that “hatred and discrimination have no place in our society.”
.. received more than 159,000 likes, including support from former Newcastle United teammates Kieran Trippier and Joelinton.
Saint-Maximin did not provide specific details about what happened to his children but said “some stuff happened with my kids in the school” during his time at Club América.
“I explained to the kids what happened was not normal and they knew already,” he said. “They were not really happy about that.”
The incident was particularly difficult for Saint-Maximin because it involved his family, although he acknowledged that racism and discrimination can happen anywhere.
“I was a bit sad about my son, but in every place there is these type of things, even in France, the country where I am from,” he said. “As I said to them, it’s something they don’t have to accept.”
Club América publicly expressed its support for Saint-Maximin and his family, while his teammates showed their solidarity by holding a “No to racism” banner before a match against Necaxa.
Saint-Maximin stressed that his decision was not a criticism of the Mexican club.
The incident was particularly difficult for Saint-Maximin because it involved his family, although he acknowledged that racism and discrimination can happen anywhere.
