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Matildas superstar's horrifying revelation of racial abuse
SEN • November 19th, 2025 7:25 pm
*Trigger warning this story deals with self-harm and suicide.
Matildas superstar Mary Fowler has recounted a horrifying story about her time playing football in France, when, instead of being gifted flowers like her teammates, she was handed bananas.
The 22-year-old made the explosive revelation in her book In Bloom, which has been published this week.
Fowler said the harrowing ordeal, which happened during her time at Montpellier, almost forced her to quit the game entirely.
Her tenure with the French side lasted just two years, with Fowler leaving in 2022 aged just 19.
In her book, Fowler reveals that after her final home game with the club a post-match presentation saw departing players presented with flowers except her and Ashleigh Weerden.
“Afterwards, when we got inside the changing room, some of our teammates questioned why we hadn’t received any flowers...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’,” Fowler wrote.
“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.”
From Montpellier, Fowler moved to Manchester City where she remains one of the club’s biggest names, but the memories of that time in her life remain front and centre.
Fowler said she is sharing her story now in a bid to provide help to others.
“Moments like this made it hard for us to not notice we were being treated differently to other players,” she wrote.
“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's book also revealed the mental demons she struggled with during her time in France which led to thoughts of self harm and suicide.
She was praised by Matildas coach Joe Montemurro earlier this week for her willingness to share and help others.
"We need to applaud the fact that she's been able to face those issues," he said. "It's so courageous to talk about these things and to come up with it.
"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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