Former Japan international and Olympique de Marseille defender Hiroki Sakai faced a racist comment from former television pundit Gilles Favard on social media.
Sakai, who is 36 years old and continues to play professionally, enrolled in a part-time MBA program at Auckland University of Technology to prepare for his post-playing career. Online sports outlet Foot Mercato reported on the defender's return to university on Friday, August 14. Many internet users praised the player's initiative to plan for his future after football.
Under the publication on social media platform X, former L'Équipe du soir columnist Gilles Favard posted a comment describing Sakai as his favorite sushi seller. The Foot Mercato account responded with a question mark, prompting Favard to reply that it was nothing and claiming it was just a bet with a friend.
Previous Racism Incident in 2016
The online exchange marks a repetition of a racist insult Favard made against the Japanese defender ten years earlier. In 2016, shortly after Sakai joined Olympique de Marseille, Favard targeted him on the set of L'Équipe du soir following a difficult performance. On the show hosted by Olivier Ménard, Favard stated that Marseille had recruited a sushi seller at right-back.
That remark directly targeted the player's origin and resulted in Favard being sidelined from the television program for several months. Sports journalist Mehdi Djebli reported details of the renewed controversy for La Dépêche du Midi on August 15, 2026, following the initial publication at 11:24 and update at 11:25.
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