Ulster Head Coach, Dan McFarland, has this evening, given his full support to an investigation, seeking to get to the bottom of the racial stormcloud that surrounded Saturday's 26-22 win over Racing 92 at Kingspan Stadium.
Irish international and Racing winger Simon Zebo, the pantomime villain of the piece at the Ravenhill venue, after his now infamous taunting of Ulster full-back Michael Lowry in the reverse fixture in Paris, seemed to suggest post-match that he had been subjected to racial slurs from a section of the home support.
A tough place to play but great effort from the boys,2 important points on the road ??
Also I hope my ears deceived me with some comments directed my way from the crowd #NotOn
Django wins in the end ✌? pic.twitter.com/GAqrQ8W6HQ— Simon Zebo (@SimonZebo) January 12, 2019
Despite the Cork native taking to social media, it was reported yesterday that the ECPR, the body that oversees the professional club game in Europe, received no formal complaint from the French club in the aftermath of the Champions Cup clash.
But McFarland has backed calls for the matter to be looked into.
We are aware of Simon's social media postings. If that is true, it is totally unacceptable. As an organisation, we put inclusivity right at the forefront of who we are - that's across everything.
Speaking to the BBC the former Ireland 'A' and Scotland assistant coach also appealed to anyone who had information in relation to remarks made in the stand in Belfast, to make themselves known.
"If there's anybody out there who knows what happened and if something happened and can give information on that, we want to know because nobody should have to put up with that," he said.
Ulster Rugby's head coach Dan McFarland has appealed for information from fans who were at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on Saturday, amid suggestions that Racing 92 winger Simon Zebo may have been racially abused. pic.twitter.com/2tOBP9j3bx
— Mark Simpson (@BBCMarkSimpson) January 14, 2019
Yesterday, Ulster Rugby also condemned the alleged comments, saying, "Ulster Rugby condemns all forms of abuse and will work with the relevant parties to robustly investigate any complaints received."
Zebo's reference to 'Django' is a tip-of-the-hat to Quentin Tarantino's n-word riddled, double-Oscar-winning movie from 2012, depicting the struggles of an African-American slave, in pre-Civil War Texas.
It's yet another controversy to dog Ulster, and deflects from a huge win for the province who gave themselves a huge chance to qualify for the Champions Cup quarter finals with a win over the French giants.
