Victor Osimhen reveals how he deals with racism in Serie A

Nigeria international Victor Osimhen has revealed his ordeal with racism in Italy and promised support to preach against it.

Racism has been a part of Italian football from time immemorial despite several campaigns to kick it out. Players like Sulley Muntairi, Mario Balotelli, Moise Kean, Kalidou Koulibaly, and other black stars have all experienced racial abuse from fans, with little to no action taken.

However, Osimhen who was on Monday named the best foreign athlete in Italy for 2022 by Stampa Estera, and expressed the love he felt from Napoli fans since he arrived in 2020, especially when he experienced racism in away games.

The 24-year-old arrived at Napoli for a club-record fee of €75.00m from Lille in 2020 and has since become arguably the prominent black footballer in Italian Serie A as he continues to lead Napoli towards a first Scudetto in over three decades.

While speaking to the media after his award, the Serie A topscorer spoke out against racism as he shared his experience.

“Since I came to Napoli in the City, I haven’t experienced what they call racism because everyone takes the blacks and whites as brothers unlike some of the other cities I have gone to,” Osimhen told media.

“I’ve been racially abused twice, and it’s a bad feeling. But of course, the love from Napoli fans through messages, phone calls, and even in the stadium makes me not think about these things.

“But I’ll try to preach as much as I can that racism is a bad disease, and it can make someone commit suicide in terms of where we blacks are coming from. So, I think I have a chase to erase that, but it’s not going to be easy.”