Toulouse FC winger Dønnum investigated for alleged racist gesture, prosecutor says

The Toulouse public prosecutor's office has opened a preliminary investigation into an alleged racist gesture allegedly made by Toulouse FC player Aron Dønnum toward Le Havre midfielder Simon Ebonog during a Ligue 1 football match.

Dønnum, a winger from Norway, was accused by Le Havre coach Didier Digard following a 0-0 draw on 2 November.

Digard told French broadcaster Ligue 1+ that he thought Dønnum made a racist gesture with his hand toward Ebonog, who is black, after the players had an argument.

According to media reports, Dønnum waved his hand in front of his nose while looking at Ebonog in the 92nd minute, a gesture interpreted as meaning "you stink". The referee cautioned both after the resulting altercation.

Dønnum said his gesture had "nothing to do with racism," stating he made it because he smelled Ebonog's breath during the altercation and that he does the same with his teammates.

"For me, it's crazy to hear that it's racism," the Norwegian said.

Le Havre's Digard clarified his allegation, stating that he believed the gesture was disrespectful.

"I simply said this gesture cannot be on a pitch. I responded that if it's not racism, it's at a minimum humiliating and demeaning. That's all," Digard explained.

Toulouse FC slammed "the unfounded and particularly serious accusations" against Dønnum, stating that the club "reserves the right to take any necessary action to defend its player."

Le Havre responded with a statement in which it said that "the gesture of which Simon Ebonog was victim simply has no place on a football pitch."

The French football associations' national ethics council, chaired by Frédéric Thiriez, referred the case to the league's discipline commission, which will reach a ruling on the case by 26 November, according to reports.