Redouan El Yaakoubi and Marouan Azarkan do not want to be associated with rainbow colors in any way. The Excelsior players refused to participate in the OneLove action on Sunday afternoon, where attention was drawn to the fight against racism and discrimination by means of a banner. El Yaakoubi also refused to wear the OneLove captain’s armband.
Prior to the league match between Excelsior and SC Cambuur (4-1), players from both clubs held up a banner with the text ‘OneLove against racism and discrimination’. However, El Yaakoubi and Azarkan decided not to join the other twenty players and waited in the background until football started. El Yaakoubi, the captain of the Kralingers, previously announced that he would not wear the special OneLove captain’s armband either and apparently did not want to hold a banner against racism and discrimination.
Redouan el Yaakoubi and Marouan Azarkan refused to pose for the One Love banner before the match (photo @ExcRdamFans). Club management is angry with the players, but does not want to comment. Players themselves are not allowed to talk to the press. Riot on a sporty beautiful day! #excam pic.twitter.com/iy5CkBRAmm
— Hans Groenendijk (@HansGroenendijk) March 19, 2023
Hans Groenendijk, who on behalf of Rijnmond Sport was present at Woudestein, said that the club management is angry with the players. However, no statements are made about this, just like the players are not allowed to talk about their decision not to support the action. El Yaakoubi and Azarkan were not allowed to talk to the press after the match and that is a ‘riot on a nice sporting day’, the journalist of the regional broadcaster wrote on Twitter.
Marinus Dijkhuizen agreed. In conversation with ESPN Excelsior’s trainer only wanted to respond briefly to the incident, but he called it “an annoying blemish” and hinted to the former striker that El Yaakoubi and Azarkan had not told them that they would not stand at the banner. “This week I tried to keep myself aloof from it as much as possible, because I actually think this is something for the management. Everything was discussed in advance, but then things turn out differently. To be honest, that is an annoying blemish on this match.”