“He (Abdel Bouhazama) said: ‘It’s not bad, we’ve all already touched girls’. We were all shocked, without reaction to such a thing, ”says a player to the newspaper The Team. The Franco-Moroccan coach initially denied the remarks before admitting to having made such statements. “Yes, yes… But when you take it out of context…, he lamented. I also say that what was done by the player is not good. But I also say that we have all made mistakes or stupid things, who hasn’t made mistakes like Ilyes? So. I do not endorse his gesture, I am a father, I have two daughters. As my player was going to play, it was to put him in good conditions, so that we play down the drama, in quotes. »
To read: Angers SCO: Ounahi and Boufal have a new coach and he is Moroccan
These comments have sparked heated controversy. On Twitter, some supporters called for his resignation or his dismissal. “A Ligue 1 coach cannot express himself like this. An educator can’t talk like that,” an internet user was indignant. Faced with the controversy, Bouhazama took “the decision to leave the functions which had hitherto been his”, announced in a press release on Tuesday the Angers club, last in Ligue 1. “A controversy arose on Monday after that remarks, taken out of context, made during the pre-match chat, leaked to the local and national press. Faced with media pressure and to preserve the club’s image and the serenity of the locker room, Abdel Bouhazama announced to President Saïd Chabane that he had decided to leave his post. The club’s management says it has “taken note of the decision” of the 54-year-old technician, appointed after the layoff of Gérald Baticle at the end of November.