ENGLAND FLANKER TOM Curry stands by his accusation that South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi racially abused him in the World Cup semi-final.
World Rugby found “insufficient evidence” to back up Curry’s claim that he was called a “white c***” by the Springboks player midway through the first half of the match in Paris.
Hooker Mbonambi has accused England of being “unprofessional” over the allegations, insisting “misunderstanding” arose because Curry failed to realise he was speaking Afrikaans, a common practice among the Springboks to ensure opponents do not understand their messages.
But Curry, whose girlfriend and family have since suffered online abuse, insisted “I heard what I heard.”
He said in an interview with the Daily Mail: “I didn’t really want to speak about it from the start.
“For me, on both occasions, the ball was out of play. Me and Bongi were talking and there’s no misunderstanding from my part. I went to the referee straight away. I heard what I heard. That’s all I really want to say about it and I won’t really be talking about it again.
“It was tough for my family, my girlfriend and my brother. It was a tough experience but it is what it is. The investigation’s been done and that’s all I want to say about it.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
If races were reversed this would have gone down very differently
@Dan P: Yes. Because context.
@Dan P: is it because I is white?
@Dan P: Racism toward white people is just not the same. If Bongi actual said it, the only thing that Curry will have had to deal with is a small bit of Individual Racism. He can easily recover and there is certainly no ill effects on the rest of us. Tom Curry, nor any white person, has had to cope with with after effects historical oppression; we do not live with structural or institutional racims and most importantly we do not suffer from intergenerational trauma that many other Peoples do. I am very comfortable with a different type of process in this particular situation.
The English Currys have a long history of being oppressed and exploited by the blacks in fairness. I’d say it opened many wounds for him and his family.
@Louis Jacob: even without historical context, racism ain’t nice and there is no excuse for it in any context. However, I don’t think Mbonambi was saying anything to Curry. On the overhead video, you can hear Mbonambi saying something, but it really sounds like he’s trying to alert his teammates to Farrell switching the play. He shouts “wyd kant” which is apparently wide side in afrikaans
@Greg: Honestly I reckon Curry is only stirring. Sour grapes.
@Louis Jacob: it was brought to the refs attention during the game so I’m guessing it wasn’t down sour grapes whatever was said!
@JaneDeer: So why hasn’t he accepted that he misheard now that it’s been shown to be the case. He’s just acting the maggot.
@Greg: yes, I have also learnt some Afrikaans because of this incident, “wit kant” means “white side”. But anyway, I hope the all the abuse has stopped now, we’ll never know for sure what was actually said. Please, no more articles on this, just let it go away now so both players and their families can get back to their normal lives.
@Louis Jacob: I hope that Dan and the 108 people who liked his comment take some real time to educate themselves. Unfortunately, they probably won’t.
@Greg: You are right, no need for any type of racism or abuse… but you can not compare the racism (if it was) to which Tom Curry was exposed, to the type of racism practised by white people and white institutions around the world even today
Ah, give over , you don’t go wingeing to the ref cos someone hurts your feelings.
It’s all he said she said bs, but I was just thinking I don’t think I’d be offended apart from being called a kant, which I’d just laugh at.
@James Murphy: You absolute Immanuel Kant
@James Murphy: Exactly the point. Like you’d be upset about it.
Its funny how Mbonambi is the one who said it (based on above, I believe Curry), yet it is Curry who most comments are directed towards. To my mind Curry has done nothing wrong, he is a young lad and simply reported it to the ref probably cause it had happened previously.. It is mbonambi who is the coward, hiding behind Afrikaans. But ultimately its a storm in a tea cup imo.
Curry talking Crap
Well this will eventuallly come back to bite. Every racial slur can now be deemed to be lost on translation and nobody can object.