French soccer club Nice suspends Youcef Atal for sharing an antisemitic message on social media

NICE, France (AP) — French soccer club Nice has suspended defender Youcef Atal until further notice after he shared an antisemitic message on social media. Nice says in a statement that it had discussed the issue with Atal and that he apologized. Nice says it decided to suspend him “given the nature of the publication shared, and its seriousness.” The suspension comes after the Nice public prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation on Monday targeting Atal on charges “of defending terrorism” for sharing the message online. The prosecutor’s office said Atal is also being investigated for “public incitement to hatred or violence because of a particular religion.”