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Warning: Story contains coarse language
Former Premier League stars Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o, and Demba Ba are speaking out against a pair of France-based medical experts who suggested that Africa could be a testing site for a coronavirus vaccine.
Professors Jean-Paul Mira of Cochin Hospital in Paris and Camille Locht of France's national medical research center, INSERM, presented the controversial idea on French television channel La Chaine Info.
"If I may be provocative, should this study not be done in Africa?" Mira posited, per ESPN's Jonathan Johnson. Locht replied, "You are right. We are currently thinking similarly about a study in Africa regarding the BCG vaccine. There is a proposal that has gone out - or will. We will seriously consider it."
Ivory Coast and Chelsea legend Drogba hit out at those suggestions on Twitter, writing: "It is totally inconceivable we keep on cautioning this. Africa is not a testing lab."
"African leaders have a responsibility to protect their populations from those horrendous conspiracies," Drogba added.
Fellow former Chelsea standout and Senegalese international Ba also slammed Mira's and Locht's ideas on Twitter, writing: "Welcome to the West. Where white people believe that they are so superior that racism and stupidity are the norm."
Three-time Champions League winner and former Cameroon international Eto'o responded to his ex-Blues teammate Ba's tweet, calling the French medical experts "sons of b------."
African and French football communities have been grieving Senegalese former Marseille president Pape Diouf, who died at 68 this week after contracting the coronavirus.