‘I applaud Mary’: Matildas coach praises Fowler after legal threat from French club

Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has lauded Mary Fowler’s courage after her former club Montpellier threatened legal action over claims published in her book.

The French club has denied the allegations made by Fowler, who said she and another teammate were given bananas instead of flowers before leaving the club in 2022.

“Look, the only reaction I’ve got on that is that [she’s a] courageous girl ... It’s difficult out there. Between social media, between the press, between the pressure of club, and there are some not great times as part of that,” Montemurro said on Friday morning.

“I just applaud Mary and [it’s] absolutely courageous to come out and talk about it … [It’s] a great example of what needs to be done if these things do happen to elite sportsmen.”

Montemurro, speaking at a press conference to mark 100 days until the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, said he and Fowler had exchanged messages since the book’s release this week, speaking mostly about football.

Overnight, Montpellier released a statement about Fowler’s claim that she experienced differential treatment during her tenure at the club. The club said it was shocked by a number of Fowler’s accusations, which were made in her book Bloom and it had found no evidence to support them.

“Some of [the accusations] are particularly serious, and the [oversimplification] that results from them – portraying the club as a racist entity – is unacceptable,” Montpellier said in a statement.

Fowler joined the club in 2020 when she was 17, and left two years later. In her book, she said the incident was not “a simple error”.

“Afterwards, when we got inside the changing room, some of our teammates questioned why we hadn’t received any flowers ... A few of the girls laughed about it and then one of the other players came over and handed my friend and me some bananas, saying, ‘here have these’ ...” Fowler wrote.

“Not receiving flowers was one thing, but as two of only six black girls in the squad, receiving bananas wasn’t something I could laugh off and forget about.”

Since the claims came to light, comments on social media posts from Montpellier have accused the club of being racist. Montpellier have disputed Fowler’s version of events and said it may take legal action over the comments, which they claim are defamatory.

“From a purely factual standpoint, the truth leaves no room for interpretation,” the club said.

“On June 1, 2022, the women’s team played their last home match against Bordeaux. At the end of the match, as had been customary for several seasons, two players whose contracts were expiring – and who were therefore wearing the club’s colours for the last time – were honoured with a bouquet of flowers.

“This was neither the case for Mary Fowler nor for the teammate mentioned in her book, both of whom were still under contract with the club until 30 June 2023. It would therefore have been rather inappropriate for the club to offer them a ‘farewell gift.’”

The club said they had consulted the players present in the locker room during the alleged incident, and they found no evidence to corroborate Fowler’s claims and could not identify the alleged perpetrator.

“If incidents of this nature had been reported and proven, the club would have taken all necessary measures as soon as they were brought to its attention,” the club said. “Racism is a serious issue that must not be exploited. The club wishes to reiterate its daily commitment to fighting all forms of discrimination.”

On Thursday, Football Australia released a statement supporting Fowler, saying, “Mary Fowler has shown a lot of courage in sharing her story, and by being open about her experiences, she will help contribute to broader conversations around athlete wellbeing, inclusion, and respect in sport,” it said.

“Football Australia are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all players, at every level of the game. We have dedicated staff to support both the physical and mental needs of our players.”

Montemurro also dispelled doubts that Sam Kerr won’t be fit for the Matildas’ upcoming friendlies against New Zealand, starting next Friday in Gosford. Kerr was rested for Chelsea’s Champions League match this week, but Montemurro affirmed she would be in the squad and wearing the captain’s armband.

“She’s good, she’s good. There was always going to be a period where she was going to be basically offloaded or rested because she’s come back from a long time out, and Chelsea have been great, and we’ve been monitoring it, and she’s ready to go,” he said.

With AP, AAP