Queens Park Rangers winger Bright Osayi-Samuel has revealed he suffered racial abuse on social media after their 1-1 draw against Norwich City in Tuesday’s Championship game.
The 22-year-old forward played a significant role in ensuring the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium outfit avoided defeat in the encounter.
Osayi-Samuel scored the equalising goal for QPR, converting from the penalty spot, after Teemu Pukki’s opener.
After the match, the Nigerian winger revealed on Instagram, as per, Sky Sports, how he was racially abused on social media, describing it as “disgusting and painful to receive messages like this".
A number of African footballers have suffered racial abuse during their career, including former Barcelona and Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o.
Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also subjected to abuse in 2018 after scoring against Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League game.
A banana skin was thrown towards the Gabon international’s direction at the Emirates Stadium, while celebrating his goal.
The FA, Uefa and other football governing bodies have tried to stamp out the ignoble act through various measures but with little success.
Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) have urged players to take a knee as part of their effort to stop racial abuse, which has been greatly adhered to.
Osayi-Samuel will hope the incident against him will be investigated by the police and the culprit gets punished to serve as a deterrent to others in the future.
The forward has been with QPR since the summer of 2017 and has been playing a key role for the club, featuring in more than 100 league games.
Last season, the winger helped his side to finish in mid-table, forming a productive partnership with his compatriot Eberechi Eze, who left to team up with Premier League club Crystal Palace in the summer.
In the current campaign, Osayi-Samuel has made 21 appearances across all competitions for QPR, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
The forward will hope to put the incident behind him and help Mark Warburton’s men end their winless run against Luton Town on January 2.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)