Soccer

José Mourinho’s gift to young striker marred by racist remark

Comment could be heard off-camera as trainers were presented to Felix Afena-Gyan

Roma’s Felix Afena-Gyan celebrates with teammates after scoring his first of two late goals against Genoa. Photograph: EPA/Simone Arveda

Mon Nov 22 2021 - 20:38

The heart-warming moment AS Roma manager José Mourinho gifted Felix Afena-Gyan a new pair of trainers after his stunning double as a late substitute at Genoa in Serie A match on Sunday was overshadowed by a racist remark made by somebody in the room.

In a video posted online by the Ghanaian forward on Monday an unidentified man off-camera can be heard saying in Italian “there are bananas inside” as the 18-year-old unpacked the box given to him by Mourinho.

Neither Mourinho nor Afena-Gyan, who were speaking in English, reacted to the comment which was made while the striker was unpacking his gift.

The club were not immediately available to comment. The video, which was widely shared online, came after Afena-Gyan came off the bench to score two superb goals in Roma’s 2-0 Serie A win over Genoa on Sunday.

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After the match Mourinho said that he had “promised to buy him [Afena-Gyan] a pair of shoes he likes that cost €800” and the Portuguese coach kept his word.

The teenager, who arrived in Rome from his native Ghana to join the club's under-19 team in January, only made his senior debut last month and has yet to start a first-team match. He was brought on for the final 15 minutes against Genoa and made a huge impact, sliding in the opener before firing home a superb long-range strike in stoppage time to send Mourinho's side up to fifth place in the standings.

"Mourinho is teaching me a lot and I am learning a lot from him. He is someone who has achieved a lot during his career and he is a great person. I am glad to be working with him," Afena-Gyan told the Roma website.

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