SPAIN_ Barcelona basketball team has issued a statement condemning the racist abuse directed towards Nigerian player James Nnaji during their Spanish championship final win against formidable rivals Real Madrid on Tuesday. This incident follows the recent global outrage against racism aimed at Real Madrid’s Brazilian football star, Vinicius Jr, who spoke out against the racist abuse he has suffered since moving to Spain five years ago.
Barcelona basketball coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius, expressed his disappointment over the racist abuse directed towards James Nnaji during the Spanish championship final against Real Madrid. He emphasized the need to put an end to such unacceptable behavior and stated that it does not align with the values of Real Madrid and its supporters.
“I want to talk about what happened here with James Nnaji. I think it’s regrettable. I hear a lot about Vinicius, and now it’s us who have to talk about what’s going on,” Jasikevicius said.
“It has to stop now. It doesn’t fit, I guess, with the values of Real Madrid and its supporters, and we have to be very angry about that,” he added.
Despite playing for just eight minutes and 35 seconds in the final, Nnaji played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s victory, according to Nigeria’s online media outlet, Pulse Sports. Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 93-82 on Tuesday, securing their 20th Spanish league title after winning the first two games of the final.
Barcelona basketball team also called for a decisive response from the Spanish basketball league, ACB, against any form of verbal or racial abuse. They strongly condemned the racial insults hurled at James Nnaji before game three of the final and demanded action to be taken against such behavior.
SOURCE: Africa News
IMAGE: The Punch
