Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare suffers racism after missing penalty

Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare was a victim of online racist insults following his penalty miss for Genk in the Belgium Pro League defeat to Club Brugge. 

5th-placed Genk hosted third-placed Brugge at Cegeka Arena, presented with a chance to leapfrog their visitors on the log with a win. 

In the 18th minute of the encounter, the 23-year-old Arokodare, who has scored eight goals in 10 starts for the Belgian side this season, was tasked with the responsibility of taking a spot-kick to hand the hosts an opener. 

However, the Nigerian was unlucky with his attempt and fired off target. Momentum swung after the miss and Club Brugge went ahead thanks to Hugo Vetlesen. 

The visitors scored two more times in the game, in the 73rd and 85th minutes, recording an emphatic 3-0 victory. 

The defeat for Genk was to the annoyance of certain bigoted characters who used racism to express their displeasure. 

These individuals, via their Instagram accounts, attacked Arokodare with racial abuse. Screenshots of the several incidents were shared on X by Nigerian journalist Ojora Babatunde.

Tolu was signed by Genk in the winter transfer window of 2023. He was to be a replacement for another Nigerian striker, Paul Onuachu, who left Genk for Southampton. He has since scored 13 goals for Blauw-Wit in 50 appearances.