On-loan Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has vowed to walk off the pitch if he is racially abused again and a referee takes no action against the culprit.
Ighalo revealed he was “called all sorts of names” during a game while playing for his parent club Shanghai Shenhua, but took no further action after informing the Chinese Football Association.
The 30-year-old, who this week extended his stay with United until the end of January 2021, will not stand for any further abuse.
“If it happens to me I would report it to the referee and see what they do, but if they don’t take action about it then I’m going to walk off because it should not be done to any player or anyone in the world,” he told Sky Sports News.
“In one game in China I got called all sorts of names and after the game, I didn’t shake his hand. I walked straight into the dressing room, I was angry, I reported it to the FA.
“I didn’t press forward with it, I just let it go because I’m just this kind of guy. I don’t like to drag issues out. But I don’t think it should be condoned in any country.”
Ighalo stressed the importance of educating the younger generation after the death of African-American George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis last week, which led to protests in the United States and far beyond.
The Nigerian added: “Nobody should condone racism. We are all human. Despite the colour of our skin, we are all the same, we live in the same world, the same life.
“I don’t condone racism, but at the same time, I don’t condone riots.
“It didn’t start today; it’s not going to end today. It’s going to take time. We are hoping this situation can change the narrative and make it more limited. It’s going to reduce it to a minimum.
“We are fighting now so that for the next generation it will be cut off, finally. We have to start from the younger generation, educate them, let them see that all humans are the same. We should fight for humanity not colours.” – BeIN.
