Ouest-France have published an investigation accusing Abdel Bouhazama, the director of the Angers club training centre, of mistreating and insulting young players within the club.
SCO have had a tough start to the season, losing seven out of 11 games in Ligue 1. They currently stand 19th on the points table. And the on-field predicaments have started catching up with the deteriorating atmosphere inside the camp, with reports, published by the French outlet on Tuesday, criticising Bouhazama’s methods of dealing with the young players at the club.
As per the report, several footballers, both named and anonymous, have testified against the director of the club training centre. Bouhazama is considered a strict educator. But in recent times, his strictness has turned into bullying for the players, which has resulted in a number of young players fleeing the club.
Pierre Freuchet, a former Angers player, stated that, “During training, I was laughing with a teammate, and we got caught by coach Denis Arnaud [former U19 coach]. We ended the session by doing laps. Coach Abdel saw that. He called us into his office. He started with me, and said to me: ‘Pierre, since you lost your virginity, you’ve become scum’. In front of witnesses, Abdel told me to go home that night, not to sleep at the academy. He then called me, not to apologize, but to go back on his remarks. But it was too late. The next day I went back, and my decision was made. I quit.”
There have also been alleged cases of outbursts, where Bouhazama has turned “very violent” and used vicious slurs to humiliate others, as reportedly confirmed by a former supervisor of the training centre. Despite the claims of recurring controversies around Bouhazama’s attitude, President Saïd Chabane has kept his faith in the director. The report even believes that Bouhazama has a certain level of influence on Chabane’s decisions.
Others have noted Bouhazama’s positive impact on them, namely Nicolas Pépé when he first joined Arsenal in 2019, explaining that the former put him “back on the right track”, while others have noted the progress that the Angers academy has made since 2013 when he arrived.
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