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Cal Basketball

Racist Behavior and Angry Confrontation Mar Cal's SoCal Challenge Opener

November 22, 2023
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During Cal’s back-and-forth contest in Monday’s opening night of the SoCal Challenge at JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, Cal center Fardaws Aimaq, who is from Afghani heritage, was subjected to a barrage of racist taunts from a fan. Following the game, the senior grad transfer confronted the fan in the stands, issuing him a physical challenge.

“Throughout and after Monday’s game, Fardaws Aimaq was allegedly subjected to abhorrent and offensive comments from a fan – including being called a terrorist,” Cal head basketball coach Mark Madsen said. “I have asked the SoCal Challenge tournament director that a formal investigation be conducted and that this fan be barred from the premises.



“Fardaws and I had an important conversation today about how he needs to maintain his composure regardless of what takes place in a game or what is said to him directly. I am disturbed that Fardaws was allegedly on the receiving end of such language, and I'm disappointed that he confronted this fan in the stands. Fardaws understands my expectations for how he as a student-athlete conducts himself. The consequences related to this situation will be managed internally."

The Bears will face off against Tulane University in tonight’s loser’s bracket game, scheduled for 9:30 pm on the CBS Sports Network.

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Racist Behavior and Angry Confrontation Mar Cal's SoCal Challenge Opener

5,445 Views | 12 Replies | Last: 12 mo ago by JeffCalFan
Shocky1
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11:05p, 11/22/23
why didn't any of the cal fans in attendance intervene on daws behalf long before our student athlete tried to handle the matter on his own?

sitting on their azzs (pathetic)#
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75bear
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In reply to Shocky1 • 11:14p, 11/22/23
Shocky1 said:
why didn't any of the cal fans in attendance intervene on daws behalf long before our student athlete tried to handle the matter on his own?

sitting on their azzs (pathetic)#
Probably because you could count the attendance on one hand.
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Go!Bears
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In reply to 75bear • 11:19p, 11/22/23
75bear said:
Shocky1 said:
why didn't any of the cal fans in attendance intervene on daws behalf long before our student athlete tried to handle the matter on his own?

sitting on their azzs (pathetic)#
Probably because you could count the attendance on one hand.
If a player heard it, the ref heard it. There must have been security and that message they read to us every home game about behavior can't be just a Cal thing. Someone should have done something.
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Shocky1
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12:12a, 11/23/23
^ 100%, the cal fans in attendance should've handled this matter

any fans in sjc wanna offer their 2 cents?
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cal93
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12:02p, 11/23/23
I was there. I told some one with the event about the person. They did absolutely nothing.
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harebear
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In reply to cal93 • 12:40p, 11/23/23
cal93 said:
I was there. I told some one with the event about the person. They did absolutely nothing.
Geez, that's unfortunate. Was it just the one guy making the remarks or were his friends doing it too?
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Basketball Bear
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3:23p, 11/23/23
I was sitting three rows behind the Cal bench and we never heard anything. He may have been sitting in the UTEP section. Shockey/Bill your too quick to blame us. A punk like that would have been taken care of in the CAL section. I would have confronted that kind of behavior personally. It looked from the video that most fans had already left when the confrontation actually happened.
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Shocky1
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4:48p, 11/23/23
understood bb, bears stand up for bears
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calumnus
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In reply to Shocky1 • 7:38p, 11/23/23
Shocky1 said:
understood bb, bears stand up for bears


Plus we have a history of standing up for what is right.
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Cal88
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7:11a, 11/24/23
Fardaws is a first generation Canadian from the Vancouver area, his father emigrated to Canada during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Cal coach says son of Afghan refugee Fardaws Aimaq was called 'a terrorist' by a heckling fan
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) California basketball coach Mark Madsen says Fardaws Aimaq, whose parents are Afghan refugees, was called "a terrorist" by a heckling fan after a game against UTEP this week in the SoCal Challenge.
By The Associated Press
Thursday, November 23, 2023

California basketball coach Mark Madsen says Fardaws Aimaq, whose parents are Afghan refugees, was called "a terrorist" by a heckling fan after a game against UTEP this week in the SoCal Challenge.
"Throughout and after Monday's game, Fardaws Aimaq was allegedly subjected to abhorrent and offensive comments from a fan, including being called a terrorist," Madsen said Wednesday night after the Bears lost to Tulane in the tournament. "I have asked the SoCal Challenge tournament director that a formal investigation be conducted and that this fan be barred from the premises."

SoCal Challenge officials said Thursday that it has begun an internal investigation and has briefed security to strictly enforce the policy prohibiting the use of profanity, derogatory comments or other intimidating actions by fans directed at athletes, officials or team representatives, according to ESPN.


https://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/cal-coach-says-son-of-afghan-refugee-fardaws-aimaq-was-called-a-terrorist-by-a/article_29921618-401f-5d09-92ec-dadd7fd5a984.html
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mbBear
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In reply to Shocky1 • 7:54a, 11/24/23
Shocky1 said:
why didn't any of the cal fans in attendance intervene on daws behalf long before our student athlete tried to handle the matter on his own?

sitting on their azzs (pathetic)#
Right, or at least call a security guard if they had such a thing at this event...
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JeffCalFan
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2:41p, 11/27/23
I was on the team bench side of the court, up on the top row center. I didn't hear the taunting fan and I don't think my wife heard him either, as she would have told me about him. We did have one ancient UTEP fan to our left (he might have been an actual miner, looked like he just crawled out of the ground - no disrespect to the actual mining industry), who kept croaking "get the ball, Miners". Back to the racist taunter, good thing I didn't hear him or he would have been upside down in a trash can in a minute. We were gone before Fardaws confronted the fan, very close to where we were sitting.
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