Onana, from Ajax, says that an Italian team did not sign him for being black: "They said it would bring problems with their hobby"

Cameroonian Ajax Amsterdam goalkeeper André Onana says that an Italian team was interested in him three years ago, after playing the Europa League final against Manchester United, but the signing was halted at the last moment due to the color of your skin

The Cameroonian, who does not make public what team it is, explained that " the talks were going well " until his representative received a call from the CEO, according to an interview with the NCR generalist newspaper, based in Amsterdam , and publishes this Saturday a report on racism in football.

"He said: 'We believe that Onana is a great goalkeeper, but unfortunately we cannot hire him. A black goalkeeper would bring us a lot of problems in front of our fans ," he said.

"Of course the statement hurt me, but to be honest I was also glad I said it. It would have been worse if they had thought I was too bad for them," adds Onana.

The events happened after the 2016/17 season, Onana's first as Ajax's goalkeeper, and his good performances were key for the Amsterdam team to reach the Europa League final against Manchester United , which took the English 2-0.

The goalkeeper revealed the incident in a report by the Dutch newspaper about racism in football. "I can't change who I am. Why should I worry? I'm black and African , I'm proud of it. If someone doesn't like me because I'm black, there's no problem. I don't even care," he said.

Onana was the subject of racist proclamations last December in the Telstar camp, in an Eredivisie party.

"The general manager (Marc Overmars) asked me if I wanted to file a complaint . A complaint for this? Then you would have to put half of the Netherlands in jail," said the footballer.

The Dutch Football Federation announced in early February a series of measures to tackle racism in the stands. The veto of attendance at the stadiums of fans who sing insulting songs will be increased from five to ten years, surveillance systems will be improved and clubs that do not do enough will run the risk of losing points.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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