French national team point guard Sylvain Francisco has been the target of a massive wave of racist abuse following his mistake in the final play against Slovenia at FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
Francisco revealed to BeBasket that he has received over 3,000 racist messages on social media and called for a stronger response from FIBA:
“You can criticize me as a player, but when it’s about my skin color, I won’t accept it. This time it went too far; I never thought something like this could happen.”
The incident has deeply affected him mentally, impacting his mood, focus, and on-court performance. Francisco also criticized the slow reaction from the authorities:
“When it happens to a famous player or an NBA star, the response is immediate. For me, it took much longer. It’s not fair — these episodes must always be addressed, no matter who the victim is.”
So far, FIBA has issued only a brief statement without even mentioning Francisco’s name, which the player considers insufficient:
“I want FIBA to do more than just release a statement. I have all the proof and I’m even considering filing a complaint.”
Before today’s tip-off between Finland and Germany, FIBA displayed a clear anti-racism message following similar abuse directed at Dennis Schröder.
❤❤#EuroBasket https://t.co/TqLzuwW4dG pic.twitter.com/es5DytU1ec
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 3, 2025
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