Karamoko Dembele has alleged he suffered racial abuse from a teammate during his time with Scotland's youth teams. The former Celtic winger, now 23, detailed the claims in a recent interview, which has drawn a response from the Scottish FA.

Dembele said the incident occurred at a youth camp. "When I went to one of the Scotland camps, a team-mate was racist to me," Dembele said. "He used a racial reference. He would always target me." He stated he was two years younger than the teammate and felt unable to defend himself physically, adding that he felt disgusted and did not report the abuse at the time.

Difficult Celtic experience

Dembele also reflected on his challenging transition to the Celtic first team under then-manager Neil Lennon. He claimed he was not made to feel completely welcome and suggested his race and confidence played a part. Dembele said some Scottish players would leave more on tackles in training, and if he reacted he was seen as having a bad attitude. He felt that playing confidently was viewed as being cocky. The winger said foreign players at the club did not treat him differently, and he believed the issue was primarily with Scottish teammates. He suggested he might have been treated better at another club.

Scottish FA response

The Scottish FA published a response to the allegations. The governing body said it was saddened to learn of Dembele's experience while on international duty. It confirmed it has reached out to the player to offer support and reaffirm its commitment to equality and inclusion. As part of this, the SFA is launching a subsidised education programme in conjunction with Show Racism the Red Card's Month of Action. The programme is designed to educate players, youth players, club staff and leaders. The Scottish FA stated it will continue to support players and work to eradicate all forms of discrimination in the national game.

Dembele's revelations come as the current Celtic side, which sits first in the Premiership with 18 points from seven games, prepares for its next challenge. The full squad list shows the environment at Lennoxtown today is vastly different from the one Dembele described. The Scottish FA's new education initiative will begin its rollout to clubs and national teams in the coming weeks.

Read the full report at Daily Record Football