French club Montpellier has denied racism allegations made by star Matilda Mary Fowler, who wrote in her book that a teammate gave her bananas as a farewell gift in 2022.

On Thursday (local time), Montpellier said it had discovered “with astonishment a number of accusations” made by Fowler in her memoir Bloom.

It said there was no evidence to support her claims.

“Some of them are particularly serious, and the shortcut that results from them — portraying the club as a racist entity — is unacceptable,” Montpellier’s statement said.

Fowler was 17 when she joined Montpellier in 2020. She played there for 2½ seasons before leaving for Manchester City.

In Bloom, Fowler wrote that she and Dutch teammate Ashleigh Weerden were left out of a presentation for departing players, who were given flowers after the final home game of the season.

“Afterwards, when we got inside the changing room, some of our teammates questioned why we hadn’t received any flowers,” Fowler wrote, according to excerpts of her book quoted in Australian media.

“We shrugged our shoulders, just as clueless as they were. 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’. That was the cherry on top.”

Fowler said she and Weerden had spoken about the incident several times since both left Montpellier.

“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,” she said.

Montpellier offered a different version of events.

“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 June 30, 2023. It would therefore have been rather inappropriate for the club to offer them a ‘farewell gift’.”

Regarding the alleged events inside the dressing room, the club said it consulted those present that day and concluded that no evidence supported Fowler’s account.

“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.”

The 22-year-old Fowler is still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered when playing for City in the Women’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United in April. She is expected to make her return in January ahead of the Asian Cup.

-AAP