The world of sports is quite familiar with the name Tonya Harding, the former figure skater who rose to notoriety having been found guilty of hiring henchmen to assault Nancy Kerrigan, the 1993 U.S figure skating champion and a competitor of Harding’s. The intention behind this act, which left one and all shell-shocked, was simply to eliminate competition.
Perpetration along similar lines was committed recently with the motive identical to that behind the Harding-Kerrigan case, which has sent shockwaves across the footballing fraternity.
PSG women team’s midfielder and French international Aminata Diallo has been accused of hiring goons to attack fellow-Parisian midfielder Kheira Hemraoui, in order to single-handedly usurp game-time for her club and country.
According to the French national-daily L’Equipe, Hemraoui was dragged out of her car and thrashed by two hired hitmen who beat the midfielder with an iron rod, severely damaging her legs. Though she was given immediate medical care, the injured 31-year-old had to miss out on PSG’s UCL encounter with Real Madrid at home.
PSG confirm women's midfielder Aminata Diallo has been taken into police custody. She allegedly hired masked men to injure her France and PSG teammate Kheira Hamraoui and stop her competing for playing time, per @lequipepic.twitter.com/3NxafxtwRY
Paris Saint-Germain has already released a statement condemning this vile act and have put strict protocols in place to ensure the safety of its women’s team. While the accused Diallo has been apprehended by the police, it all but does little to assuage the terror and trauma that would have been afflicted on to the victim.
Although this case is somewhat similar to Harding’s, what makes this crime more heinous is the fact that it involves unfathomable treachery, since both players involved are in fact teammates and not competitors.
This unfortunate incident sheds light on the obscure dark side of sports and only goes to show that bitter sentiments like jealousy and over-competitiveness can push one to tread down even the most clandestine of paths to benefit oneself.
