Former Celtic prodigy Karamoko Dembele claims he was racially abused by a teammate during his time in the Scotland youth set-up. The winger, who now plays for Queens Park Rangers in England's second tier, made the allegation in an interview with The Athletic.
Celtic career and international switches
Dembele was signed by Celtic from Park Villa Boys Club in 2013 when he was 10 years old. The London-born player spent the next nine years in Glasgow's East End, making 10 first-team appearances for the Hoops and scoring once.
He left the club in 2022 to join Brest in France and signed for QPR on a permanent basis in the summer of 2025 following an initial loan spell. During his teenage years, the speedster was highly coveted by elite clubs across Europe, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona, and represented both England and Scotland at youth level.
Allegation of racial abuse
Dembele, now 23, alleges he was subjected to 'disgusting' racial abuse during his time with Scotland. In the interview, he said: "When I went to one of the Scotland camps, a team-mate was racist to me. He used a racial reference. He would always target me. I was so young — two years younger — I couldn’t defend myself physically but it was bullying, for sure."
He added: "I don’t even want to say what he said. I didn’t report it. I felt disgusted. When you’re racially abused, coming out and saying that someone said this feels quite embarrassing."
Scottish FA response
In the same interview, the Scottish FA published a response to the allegation, stating: "We are saddened to learn of Karamoko’s experience while on international duty. The Scottish FA has made great strides in embedding a culture of equality and inclusion within all national teams.
"We have reached out to Karamoko to offer support but also to reaffirm our commitment to ensure everyone feels welcome and that measures are in place to prevent discrimination, whether real or perceived, within our camps."
The governing body added: "As part of Show Racism the Red Card’s Month of Action, we are launching a subsidised education programme to our member clubs designed to educate players, youth players, club staff and leaders. We will continue to support players across our squads and our member clubs, and work to eradicate all forms of discrimination in our national game."
