Nigeria forward Tolu Arokodare was subjected to racial abuse following his penalty miss in Genk’s heavy defeat to Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League.
The 23-year-old was the villain during Sunday’s disappointing 3-0 loss for Genk when he squandered a glorious opportunity to give Genk the lead.
The Smurfs had the chance to move up to fifth on the league table when they faced third-placed Club Brugge at home on Sunday 3 March.
Genk made the perfect start to the game and were awarded a penalty in the 18th minute but Arokodare failed to convert from 12 yards. Club Brugge went on to seize the initiative, with goals from Hugo Vetlessen, Denis Odoi and Andreas Olsen giving the visitors an emphatic 3-0 win.
Tolu Arokodare suffers racial abuse
In the aftermath of the game, Arokodare was subjected to racial abuse on social media over his costly penalty miss.
The Genk striker took to his Instagram stories to share screenshots of some racially offensive messages that were sent to him on the photo-sharing platform.
The Nigerian footballer was, however, unfazed by the abuse and said he was proud to be black while thanking those who leapt to his defence to support him.
“Black and proud. Thanks to everyone for all the positive messages and support. The ones I play for,” Arokodare wrote on his Instagram stories.
Raphael Onyedika on the winning side
Meanwhile, Arokodare’s compatriot Raphael Onyedika also featured heavily on the opposite side as Club Brugge routed Genk.
Onyedika, who was part of Nigeria’s silver-winning side at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) in the Ivory Coast, started at the base of midfield for the away side.
The 22-year-old received a yellow card in the first half but played 79 minutes of the game before being substituted by Kyriani Sabbe in the second half.
Onyedika has now featured 34 times in all competitions for Club Brugge this season, contributing a goal and an assist.
