A 23-year-old footballer from Guinea, Momo Yansane, has narrated his struggle with racism while playing for Moroccan side FUS Rabat.
Yansane, who now plays at Belarus’ Isloch Minsk Raion, left Morocco under controversial circumstances and with little playing time under the then coach Walid Regragui.
He alleges there “was a lot of racism, even some from my fellow teammates” during his time at Rabat.
“The more you train together, the more you are together, the more you can discover. Some of the Moroccan population is racist as well,” he said in a news report, adding that he was, at times, the target of the worst form of racist attacks in the North African country.
“Sometimes, when you went for a walk or you spoke to someone they treated you in a racist way.”
Since moving to Europe, Yansane has adapted to life outside Africa, scoring 15 goals in all competitions in his first season.
But when the young player lost his mother to cancer just two days before his birthday in July, the Belarusian club failed to release him for the funeral.
Yansane said the club hurt him but conversations with a compatriot playing in FC Belshina Babrousk, another club in Belarus, and three Nigerian teammates helped lift his spirit.
He also said his coach Vitaly Zhukovsky has been a good friend.
Yansane is hoping for a recall into the national team but admits he must grow at club level first. Before the International break, he scored a decisive brace in a 2-1 win against Dnepr in the domestic cup.
