For far too many soccer players around the world, it’s an ugly, painful rite of passage: Becoming the target of racist songs, chants and gestures from opposing fans.
Real Salt Lake center back Nedum Onuoha has experienced it a few times over his impressive pro career, just as his fellow Englishman, Manchester City superstar Raheem Sterling, recently did, making headlines around the world.
As this troubling problem continues to mar the beautiful game despite the best efforts of many to eradicate it, Onuoha has decided to speak out, sharing his story and his perspective on the issue in an in-depth feature story by Christopher Kamrani of The Salt Lake Tribune.
“All the stuff that’s existed the last 200, 300, 400 years, it’s absolutely insane,” said the Nigerian-born, Manchester-raised Onuoha. “Yet, still, here we are where, legally we’re the same, but where culturally, we’re nowhere near the same — culturally we’re sometimes in the exact same spot and we’re having the same conversation over and over and over again. They say it’s changed, but here we are.”
It’s not an easy read, but a very important one: Read the article on sltrib.com.
