Arsenal and Italy international midfielder has given his opinion on Bukayo Saka’s Nigerian roots as reasons behind the winger getting insults from fans of England following his penalty miss in the final of the last Euros.
Saka who is of Nigerian descent was racially insulted when he missed a crucial penalty in the final of the European championship against Italy, which played a part in England losing the clash.
In an interview with The Athletic monitored by OwmGoalNigeria.comconducted by Ayo Akinwolere , a Nigerian who also says he holds a British passport asked Jorginho, who is of Brazilian descent but represents Italy at senior international level how hard is it to take such insults.
Below is the excerpts from the interview, where the issue was discussed.
Akinwolere: I’m a Nigerian guy, who grew up in England. I’ve got a British passport, I’ve got a Nigerian passport. Bukayo Saka — Nigerian heritage but plays for England. You are a Brazilian who plays for Italy.
The abuse Saka got after that miss in 2021 was insane. And you were in that rare position as well where you’re Brazilian and also you play for Italy. Now you’ve received this kind of stuff before. I don’t want to say is it part of the game, but is it hard to say, ‘I’m Italian only so long as I play well for Italy’? Is that hard to take?
Jorginho: It’s not easy. It’s hard. It’s harsh. And, unfortunately, it does affect you because you give everything. You try your best. Sometimes, your best is not enough. And people forget you are just human beings.
The first person that hurts you? It’s you. Because you didn’t want that to happen. When it happens, you are the first one to stab yourself in the back. ‘Why did you do that?’, or, ‘Why didn’t you do another thing?’. It doesn’t feel good.
If a footballer makes a mistake, it feels like it’s the end of the world. Everyone wants to kill you. Let’s say you make a mistake here (at The Athletic). You make a mistake here and that’s it. And maybe your boss will be upset with you. But nothing is going to affect maybe your children, your family. With us, it’s different, because it affects a lot of people, not just us (the player involved). Maybe my mum, my father, my sister, who maybe is at the stadium. My kids, when they go to school and they (other children) say, ‘Oh, your dad, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah’, you know? And that’s without even mentioning social media.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
