Roma striker Tammy Abraham on racism in football: These things hurt people

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Before it was Vinicius Junior in Spain, it was Romelu Lukaku in Italy. And Mario Balotelli. And Kevin-Prince Boateng. And countless others.

Either way, the damage caused by fan racism goes far beyond the football pitch, Roma striker Tammy Abraham said on Thursday.

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It’s only a small minority of people, but a small minority of people can affect someone’s life, said Abraham, who grew up in England as the son of Nigerian parents. We are more than just footballers; were also humans. We have feelings, so these things hurt people.

We may not show it or we can’t show it on the pitch, but these things affect us, Abraham added during the media day in Rome ahead of the Europa League final. These things must stop. … It’s a small minority of stupid people who need to change.

The repeated insults against Vinicius, a Brazilian striker who plays for Real Madrid, have sparked a heated debate about racism in Spain.

Lukaku was also the victim of discriminatory chants on numerous occasions during his two spells at Inter Milan.

Last month, Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina had to step in to suspend Lukaku’s match ban after reacting to racist chants and being shown a yellow card for provoking Juventus fans in holding her finger to her lips as if to silence the crowd. when converting a time out penalty.

In 2019, Balotelli kicked a ball high into the stands when he grew frustrated with racist chants from Hellas Verona supporters.

And a decade ago Boateng was playing for AC Milan when he kicked the ball in anger at part of the crowd while chanting racial slurs during a friendly with lower-division club Pro Patria, a took off his jersey and left the field with the rest of his teammates.

I have seen what is happening in Spain, we have had it in the past in Italy. We’ve had it all over the world, said Abraham, who is black. I only experienced that when I was with the England Under-21s, that was a long time ago. Were all one and trying to make a change. Football has no home. Football is for the world.

Roma will face Spanish club Sevilla in next week’s Europa League final in Budapest, Hungary.

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