Beyond Limits FA product, Ebenezer Akinsanmiro was the target of racial abuse last Sunday in the Italy Serie B match between Brescia and Sampdoria, Sports247 reports.
Akinsanmiro, an Inter Milan player but loaned to Sampdoria was in action over the weekend, but he was subbed off by the Sampdoria coach after he was racially abused by the fans in the match-day 21 game of the Serie B at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti in Brescia.
The 20-year-old was provoked by the home fans, resulting in the game being briefly stopped due to the racial chants directed at him.
Reports in Italy established that the player stopped the match 20 minutes into the encounter.
“Akinsanmiro turned to the referee Massa to signal that he heard racist howls from the Curva Nord of Brescia. The situation required immediate intervention, with Massa deciding to temporarily stop the game.
He invited the speaker of the stadium to launch a notice to the public, stressing that further discrimination behaviour could lead to the final suspension of the meeting,” Italian newspaper Tendenze Di Viaggio wrote.
Akinsanmiro later got himself booked after he celebrated Sampdoria’s opening goal scored by the forward Mas Coda, with a Provocative Dance in the front of the home fans which the referee perceived as a clap back and reactions to the abuse.
He was later substituted by the coach moments after the celebrations before halftime.
“At the end of the first half, Sampdoria coach Leonardo Semplici opted to replace Akinsanmiro, demonstrating the desire to re-enter the spirit of the game and protect the young footballer. Leaving the field, the midfielder was greeted by a mix of boos and applause, a sign of the tense climate that had characterized the meeting.” the outfit reported.
Meanwhile, Sampdoria FC has come out to lend their support to the player in the wake of the abuse by sharing a picture of the player with a caption and hashtag, “With you. #KeepRacismOut.” .
Ebenezer Akinsanmiro joined Inter in the January 2023 transfer window after a break out season with Beyond Limits.
He featured prominently for the Italian Serie A champions U19 prominently and had a cap for the main team before he was loaned to Sampdoria to speed up his development.
