FC Lorient striker Aiyegun Tosin denounced in the columns of Ouest-France the racist messages he received on social networks, in the wake of the Merlus’ defeat against Olympique de Marseille on December 10 (2-4). The Beninese international shared a particularly shocking one on Instagram on Thursday, both racist and homophobic. “Dirty black shit, go rape your daughter big pd,” Tosin received from a user in a private message.
“I have never been the victim of racist insults on the pitch, only through messages. And this is not the first time that I have received them, I have them more than once a week,” explained Tosin, 25, to Ouest-France on Thursday. The player says he already received a lot of similar messages when he played in Switzerland. “Today, I smile, even if it hurts to receive these kinds of messages. People say what they want, but it doesn’t affect me, because I’m proud to be black. For me, we are all the same,” continued Tosin.
The Lorient resident wanted to raise the subject after his daughter, aged 4, was also targeted. “It touched me a lot because I love my daughter so much. We need to raise awareness because talking about a little girl like that, who doesn’t know anything… I don’t know… She’s four years old,” exasperated Tosin, who advocates “ignorance” in the face of racism.
FC Lorient reacted with a press release on Thursday. “The club wishes to support Aiyegun and firmly denounces all racist insults and hate speech,” said the Merlus. Recruited from FC Zürich last summer, Tosin has 2 goals in 7 matches with Lorient. The Morbihan club is 16th in Ligue 1 and virtually a barrier for maintenance.
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