Paul Jouffreau will be placed into a two-year probation by EuroNASCAR and has voluntarily left Unity Racing, the sim racing team that the Frenchman used to represent.
NOTE: The article originally reports that Jouffreau has been expelled from Unity Racing, instead of him voluntarily leaving the organization. It has been updated to match the statement provided by Unity Racing’s founder Thomas Toulemonde.
EuroNASCAR and sim racing organization Unity Racing have announced punishments for Paul Jouffreau as a result of his racial slur usage on Twitch against Indonesian streamer Eliza “Elz” Indriani.
Due to his behavior, EuroNASCAR will place Jouffreau into a two-year probation while Unity Racing’s founder Thomas Toulemonde confirms that Jouffreau has voluntarily left the organization. In addition, EuroNASCAR also handed an €800 fine to the Frenchman.
“EuroNASCAR Management Group released today a penalty to NASCAR Whelen Euro Series driver Paul Jouffreau for the online incident involving him during the past week, in which the Frenchman used improper language towards a sim racing streamer on Twitch’s live streaming chat,” announced EuroNASCAR.
“Jouffreau has been put under a two-year probation period through the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season and received a €800 fine to be paid immediately. The Frenchman will also have to participate in a sensitivity meeting at Vallelunga before the start of the event.”
Several days prior to EuroNASCAR’s announcement, Unity Racing had made a statement on their social media stating that one of their members has been expelled from the organization immediately after the racial slur incident took place.
“Recently, during a live stream on Twitch featuring Elzindriani, one of our members made completely unacceptable remarks that go against the fundamental values of our team, and this was done in our name,” said Unity Racing in their official statement.
“We want to inform you that this individual has been immediately expelled from Unity Racing. We want to emphasize that such racist behavior will never be tolerated within our organization.”
“We offer our sincerest apologies to those who were offended or hurt by these actions. As the founders of this team, we want to reaffirm our commitment to inclusion, respect, and diversity. We firmly believe that Esports should be a safe and welcoming space for everyone, without exception.”
“We are actively working to strengthen our internal policies to ensure that such incidents do not happen again in the future. We are determined to make our team an example of positive and respectful behavior in the Esports community.”
“Thank you to all who continue to support our team and share our values. Together, we can create an environment where everyone feels welcome and respected.”
It was originally assumed that this member refers to Jouffreau, as accounts attributed to Jouffreau and Unity Racing were shown to make the racial slur towards Indriani.
However, Toulemonde revealed that the person that used Unity Racing’s account was actually another member of the organization.
This particular member was expelled immediately by Unity Racing, but Toulemonde confirmed that Jouffreau also took responsibility by voluntarily leaving the organization.
“I would like to emphasize that the insulting remarks attributed to “Unity Racing” did not come from Paul, but from another driver whom we promptly and permanently expelled,” said Toulemonde to World of EuroNASCAR.
“I want to clarify that our communication, particularly our statement, was rather vague. Paul used his account to do the same and eventually chose to leave on his own to protect the team’s reputation and to avoid any association with this matter.”
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Last Updated: 17 May 2024