French football club Montpellier have strenuously denied that Matildas star Mary Fowler was given bananas as a farewell gift instead of flowers. Fowler played for Montpellier from 2020 to 2022, after moving to France at age 17.
She’s since moved to Manchester City in England and has become a household name in football. But the Matildas star has claimed in her new book that she encountered some troubling behaviour at Montpellier.
Mary Fowler is being commended for her courage to speak up. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Writing in her newly-released memoir ‘In Bloom’, Fowler claims she and teammate Ashleigh Weerden were presented with a bunch of bananas rather than flowers after their final games for the club. “When we got inside the changing room, some of our teammates questioned why we hadn’t received any flowers,” Fowler recalls. “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’.
“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. We just sat there holding the bananas.”
Mary Fowler at Montpellier in 2020. Image: Montpellier
Mary Fowler’s troubling claims about Montpellier
Fowler said the incident almost made her want to quit professional football. “Moments like this made it hard for us to not notice we were being treated differently to other players,” she writes. “My intention for sharing this part of my story is to put something out into the world that maybe could have helped my younger self.”
Fowler claims she and Weerden were also chastised by club officials for driving home together from a training session, which came about because Fowler didn’t have her licence. She writes that she was also accused of faking injury at one point when she reported having pains in her chest.
On Friday, the French club responded to strongly refute the claims. In a statement, Montpellier said Fowler and Weerden weren’t given flowers because they weren’t leaving the club yet, and strongly denied the banana incident took place.
“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 statement claims the club consulted a number of people present on the day in question, and found no evidence to support what Fowler said. “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,” Montpellier 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.”
Mary Fowler (R) and Courtney Nevin after a game for the Matildas. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
Fowler’s new book also reveals how she struggled with her mental health, self-harming and experiencing suicidal thoughts during her time at the French club. On Monday, Matildas coach Joe Montemurro said she should be applauded for her bravery.
“We need to applaud the fact that she’s been able to face those issues … it’s so courageous to talk about these things and to come up with it,” Montemurro said. “And the fact that she’s been able to deal with these issues, I think, is all credit to her, it’s amazing.
“I suppose it’s a little bit of a sign of the pressures that professional athletes and professional sports people are under these days, that there are challenges. The more we talk about it, the more it’s out in the open, the more that we’re honest about it, I think is amazing.
“This is a perfect example of someone that’s been really courageous and been able to come out with her issues, deal with it and know that there are people behind her, backing her and want to do what’s best for her.”
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