By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian rapper Olanrewaju Ogunmefun, better known as Vector Tha Viper, has hit out at Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini following his harsh criticism of Ademola Lookman after the Super Eagles winger missed a crucial penalty in their UEFA Champions League defeat to Club Brugge on Tuesday night.
Atalanta suffered a 3-1 loss at home to the Belgian side, with Lookman scoring the only goal for the hosts. The Nigerian striker had the chance to score another but saw his penalty attempt saved by Brugge’s goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet.
Gasperini was quick to blast Lookman, calling him “the worst penalty taker I’ve ever seen” and claiming the player insisted on taking the spot-kick despite not being the designated penalty taker.
Vector, reacting to Gasperini’s comments, implied that the manager’s criticism had racial undertones, referencing similar treatment of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen at Napoli.
On his X handle (formerly Twitter), Vector posted: “I thought I was a victor till Napoli started laughing. Make Lookman look well… This skin issue sha.”
In a counter-response to Gasperini’s allegations, Lookman clarified that he did not insist on taking the penalty, but rather that the team’s designated penalty taker asked him to step up for the spot-kick.
Despite the controversy, the incident has sparked a wider conversation about race and fairness in football, particularly concerning the treatment of African players in European leagues.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
