Tolu Arokodare: Racial Abuse Targeted at Nigerian Striker After Penalty Miss for Genk vs Club Brugge

Tolu Arokodare: Racial Abuse Targeted at Nigerian Striker After Penalty Miss for Genk vs Club Brugge

Robert Abong'o
updated at March 4, 2024 at 2:23 PM
In this article:
Tolu Arokodare logo
T. Arokodare
FK Valmiera logoF-
Racing Genk logo
Racing Genk
Belgium
30
Club Brugge logo
Club Brugge
Belgium
34
  • Tolu Arokodare was racially abused on social media after missing a penalty for Genk
  • The Nigerian remained resilient, expressing pride in his identity and thanking supporters
  • Club Brugge went on to beat the hosts 3-0 at the Cegeka Arena in the Belgian Pro League

Nigeria's Tolu Arokodare has suffered racial abuse after missing a penalty in Genk's 3-0 loss to Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League on Sunday, March 3.

The 23-year-old forward squandered a crucial opportunity that could have given his side the lead at Cegeka Area.

The blunder shifted the momentum in favour of Brugge, who capitalized on the situation with goals from Hugo Vetlessen, Denis Odoi, and Andreas Olsen.

Arokodare Tolu missed a penalty vs Club Brugge. Photo: Sebastien Smets.
KRC Genk's Tolu Arokodare hits and misses a penalty against Club Brugge in the Jupiler Pro League on March 3. Photo: Sebastien Smets.
Source: Getty Images

After the match, Arokodare shared screenshots of racially offensive messages he received on his Instagram stories.

Despite the abuse, the Nigerian displayed resilience, expressing his pride in his identity and thanking those who supported him.

"Black and proud. Thanks to everyone for all the positive messages and support. The ones I play for,” Arokodare said on his Instagram stories, as reported by Afrik Foot.

In the same match, his compatriot Raphael Onyedika featured for the Blauw-Zwart.

Onyedika, part of the Super Eagles' silver-winning squad at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023), operated in midfield and even got a yellow card in the first half.

Arokodare, however, was not the only Nigerian who missed a penalty during the weekend.

Victor Osimhen, missed one for Napoli late in a Serie A game, even though his side secured a 2-1 victory over rivals Juventus at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Wojciech Szczęsny denied Osimhen's initial attempt before Giancomo Raspadori capitalized on the rebound.

Real Valladolid fans racially abuse Vinicius Junior

Sports Brief reported when Real Valladolid fans racially abused Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during their La Liga game in April last year.

The Brazilian attacker has endured difficult seasons when it comes to racist fans, and that continued against the Blanquivioletas.

An incident in the 88th minute overshadowed the match result, as Vinicius was substituted and replaced with Luka Modric when fans started throwing bananas at him.

Authors
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Robert Abong'o
Editor - Africa Team
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Nigeria