Before the play-off match between Belgium and France (July 1), midfielder Amadou Onana had a controversial action when he insulted Mbappe.
The incident happened before the Belgian team ‘s training session on June 29 took place. According to Marca, when the players were walking onto the field, preparing to warm up, a Belgian comedian named Pablo Andres continuously parodied the song that French team fans used to praise Mbappe at the 2018 World Cup. However, instead of singing it verbatim, this actor changed the lyrics to say “Who will poke Mbappe’s tibia?”. Many Belgian team players passed by and heard this song by actor Pablo Andres. They all passed by, but when it was Amadou Onana’s turn, he stopped and sang along. Even in response to this song, Amadou Onana also nominated his own name.
The video was shared by Pablo Andres on social networks and immediately attracted attention. In just a few hours, his post attracted hundreds of thousands of views. Not only Belgian fans, many French people also commented on the article and criticized Amadou Onana for insulting Mbappe.
The video received a lot of criticism from French fans.
Officials from this body had to intervene and speak to Amadou Onana. A few hours later, the RBFA issued a statement: “A video has been posted on social media in which Amadou Onana talks about tackling Mbappe by kicking him in the shin. The Belgian Football Association has been working with Pablo Andres for many years now and he knows the rules. The post appeared mainly to make people laugh. We apologize if anyone was offended. In particular, with Amadou Onana, we have warned him and will definitely not do anything like this.”
Following the RBFA announcement, the video of comedian Pablo Andres was removed. However, several European newspapers quickly saved it and it was widely shared by French fans.
“Mbappe can be considered a treasure and the captain of the French team. If he has any problems, the team’s play will be greatly affected. We would never accept such jokes from a player of the Belgian team. We always show respect to our opponents but it seems they do not do the same with the French team,” fan Selemon Dorth told L’Equipe .
Amadou Onana has been cautioned by the RBFA
This is not the first time at EURO 2024 Amadou Onana has brought controversy. After the Belgian team lost 0-1 to Slovakia on the opening day, Amadou Onana surprised the German media when he was ready to scold reporters for confusing his name with Man United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
“I called Amadou Onana by the wrong name but quickly realized and apologized. However, this player seemed upset and continuously showed his attitude during the interview. After that day, Amadou Onana continued to mock me,” the reporter in Germany shared about the incident with Amadou Onana.