Former Super Eagles midfielder Mikel Obi accused the English FA of turning a blind eye to his complaints of racism during his time at Chelsea, Soccernet.ng reports.
The problem has racism in football has been a never-ending one. Many black players have often complained about the issue in big leagues like the Premier League, Serie A, and Laliga. The most recent one was from Roma man Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian complained of racist abuses in Roma’s game against Inter Milan in early April.
Also, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has been a victim of racism in the Laliga, but it has been amplified this season, with the Brazilian star getting emotional in a press conference.
Vinicius cried during #Brazil‘s press conference:
“I’m sorry. I just want to play football, do everything for my club and my family, never see black people suffering. 😢
— MahmuD (@Mahmud058) March 26, 2024
Commenting on the issue, former Chelsea star Mikel, who spent most of his career at Chelsea believes the authorities don’t do enough. He had different cases, including one with Mark Clattenburg, albeit there was no evidence.
“I get emotional about it, sometimes I say what I’m not supposed to say. But it’s the authorities, they decide. The punishment is no where near what they deserve,” Mikel told Al Jazeera.
“We are talking about someone being insulted because you’re a certain colour. We are same people and the same humans.
“I think a lot more can be done, a lot more should be done, it’s about time. You can’t say you’re looking for some geezer who insulted somebody at one football ground, and you’re gonna ban him for life. That doesn’t change anything, it still goes on. Vinicius, Lukaku have been through things like that.
“When we were playing, I had the same thing as well when we lost games at Chelsea. The club reported it to the FA, but nothing was done, zero was done. We just had to ignore it.
“When I reported to Chelsea, and they reported to the FA, nothing was done, ignored, nothing happened. I had to go back the next weekend, try to put a smiling face and continue doing my job. That was what it was then.”
In recent years there have been various campaigns against racism, in a bid to reduce it. However, it has continued. Perhaps, more stringent measures could help to curb the problem eventually.