Sampdoria's Nigerian striker Akinsanmiro responds to racist chants with monkey celebration

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro heard racist insults from the Brescia crowd at their game this weekend, so he responded by imitating a monkey. The young talent - 20 years old - from Sampdoria, where he plays on loan from Inter Milan, moved sideways, bent his knees and thumped his chest like an ape after his side scored the first goal of a game they would draw 1-1.

He did so under the goal of Luca Lezzerini, who approached him and gently touched him on the back to urge him to let the matter drop. His coach, Leonardo Semplici, a few minutes later, replaced him with Ronaldo Vieira so that the matter would not escalate and because he understood that his player was too affected to keep his full attention on the ball. However, his tactical counterpart did not hear anything from the stands.

“I haven't heard anything. I think a player, making a scene like that, is inciting violence. You can't do something like that to the public. You have to have respect,” said the hosts' coach, Pierpaolo Bisoli, at a press conference. He also criticised the refereeing: “I didn't like it. I want respect for myself and my players. He did not hide his disappointment at the sporting performance: “We are not yet capable of winning.

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro is one of many promising African players who have trained in African teams before making the leap to Europe. In his case, he started his career with the Remo Stars, who sold him to Inter for around half a million euros. Now, he has a contract until 2026 as a 'Nerazzurro', although he is trying to earn a space in the squad with this loan after two seasons in which he did not attract the attention of the first team.

 

January 13, 2025