F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Stands Against Football Fans After Online Racial Abuse
Lewis Hamilton, seven-time Formula One champion, has condemned social media users for their racist comments towards French football players Aurelien Tchouameni and Randal Kolo Muani following the World Cup final in Qatar. France lost the final in a penalty shootout to Argentina, and another French player, Kingsley Coman, also received racist comments.
Hamilton, who has long been an advocate for racial equality and diversity in Formula One, has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. In response to the incident, the FIA announced that drivers will now be prohibited from making political, religious, or personal statements. In a statement, the FIA said:
"The general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its statutes, unless previously approved in writing by the FIA for International Competitions, or by the relevant ASN for National Competitions within their jurisdiction."
In response to the racist comments directed towards Tchouameni and Kolo Muani, Hamilton posted to his Instagram stories:
"Disgusted but not surprised. @Aurelientchm and @R_kolomuani gave it everything. They're heroes to so many and deserve nothing but respect."
The French Football Association also condemned the comments and announced plans to file a complaint against their authors. Coman's team, Bayern Munich, also spoke out against the inappropriate comments, stating:
"FC Bayern strongly condemn the racist comments made towards Kingsley Coman. The FC Bayern family is behind you, King. Racism has no place in sport or our society."
This is unfortunately not the first time that football players have been targeted with racist abuse. In 2021, Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham, and Marcus Rashford all received online racist abuse following England's loss in a penalty shootout at the European Championships at Wembley Stadium.