Menzi Magubane
On Friday, the insults, being called a monkey and being rejected, became too much for former AC Milan youth player Seid Visin to bear.
The 20-year-old left football in 2016 to pursue his studies and worked part time as a waiter. He played five-a-side soccer with Atletico Vitalica but he was still a target for local people. It was this club that announced that he was found dead at his home in Campania, Italy after taking his own life.
In Europe, racism directed to football players of colour is common.
Italy and Spain have a high rate of racism in their elite leagues. Players are not only targeted by spectators but by other players and even the referees .
The Ethiopian-born Visin, who was adopted by an Italian family, wrote a note in January which was read at his funeral.
“Wherever I go, wherever I am, I feel the weight of the sceptical, biased, disgusted and frightened glances of people,” he wrote.
“I was adopted when I was a child and I remember everybody used to love me. Everywhere I went, everybody was talking to me with joy, respect and curiosity. Now it seems that everything has turned upside down.”
Visin said people, especially the older ones, refused to serve him. He was accused of taking jobs from young and white Italians.
“It’s like I am ashamed of being black,” he wrote.
“It’s as if I had to prove to people who did not know me that I was just like them: Italian and white.”
He said he made bad racist jokes to show that he was Italian.
“But it was fear. Fear for the hate that I saw in people’s eyes looking at immigrants.”
Picture source: @footballitalia
