‘Treated differently’: Mary Fowler claims she was given bananas instead of flowers on leaving French club

Matildas star Mary Fowler has revealed the inner torment she endured during her time at French club Montpellier, saying she and another black teammate were given bananas instead of flowers during a farewell presentation from the club, an incident she says was not “a simple error”.

In explosive claims, the 22-year-old said she considered quitting soccer during her tenure at Montpellier. She joined the club in 2020 aged 17 and left two years later. Fowler included the incident in her book Bloom published this week.

The shocking revelations come amid increased attention on racism in soccer and in the women’s game which has seen England’s Jess Carter and Jess Naz speak out after receiving racial abuse on social media.

In a chapter coined “Not so great days”, Fowler recounts her last home game at the club. A post-match presentation was held to recognise departing players and while several foreign players were presented with flowers, Fowler said there was no mention of her or her friend Ashleigh Weerden.

“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. Was it an accident? Was it the only thing in the dressing room she could give us? Did she mean well by it?

“I’ve tried to justify it in many different ways … But when I add in the many other times at the club when we were left feeling a similar way, it was hard to see it as merely a simple error.”

Fowler spent two years at the club but left in 2022 for Manchester City. She and Weerden have revisited the incident in conversations since, with Fowler writing that she wished she had done more at the time: “But instead, we just sat there holding those bananas”.

The Fowler incident is the latest racism claim by an Australian sportsperson. In 2024, Roosters NRL forward Spencer Leniu was suspended for eight matches for calling Brisbane Broncos star Ezra Mann a monkey, South Sydney rugby league superstar Latrell Mitchell has been the target of alleged racial abuse throughout his career, while Fowler’s Matildas teammate Lydia Williams has routinely spoken about her experiences with racism in women’s soccer.

Fowler said she and Weerden experienced differential treatment throughout her second year at the club, including being scolded for driving home from practice together because Fowler didn’t have her licence.

“Moments like this made it hard for us to not notice we were being treated differently to other players,” she said.

Fowler also recalled treatment from a physiotherapist at the club who accused her of making up chest pain when it had previously been dismissed by the club’s doctor.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Frustrated, I told him I wasn’t making it up, that I could never make up something that could be related to my heart,” she said. But the physiotherapist said the club’s coaching staff believed she was making it up. It led to a heated discussion which Fowler said taught her to stick up for herself.

Fowler also talks about how she struggled with her natural hair and wondered if she was sending the wrong message to fans during the 2023 World Cup at home in Australia.

“At the World Cup, I would straighten my hair before each game to put it up in the bubble braid ... I couldn’t help but wonder if, as a black woman, I was unintentionally sending a message to young black girls that I wasn’t comfortable with my natural hair. That I thought straight hair looked more beautiful and professional than curly hair.”

In a chapter Fowler said was the most important to her, she recalls her experience with depression and how, while living in France, she had begun to self-harm.

“My intention for sharing this part of my story is to put something out into the world that maybe could’ve helped my younger self.”

If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 131 114, Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

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