Lifestyle/Community
Eto’o awarded for his stand on racism
Cameroon-born soccer star Samuel Eto’o first experienced racism when he went to buy a watch at a fashionable jeweller in London. He chose the watch he wanted, but when the saleslady took his credit card, she came back and told him that it was declined.
Jack Milner
A security guard from Senegal kept trying to justify what the lady said, so Eto’o asked him where he’s from. “When he told me, I said, ‘Ah, if I gave you my name, you will recognise who I am?’
“He shrugged and I said: ‘I’m Eto’o.’ He went: ‘Nooooo! Just yesterday, my wife and I were talking about you! Can I take a picture with you and send it to my wife?’”
Since then Eto’o has been a strong spokesman against racism – and anti-Semitism – in football.
Earlier this month Eto’o, who is now a Spanish citizen, was honoured by the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), and received their European Medal of Tolerance, when he received the medal at a ceremony in London’s Kensington Palace.
The ECTR is a non-government organisation comprising former world leaders and other senior public figures. Dr Moshe Kantor, president of the ECTR, said the award was to honour and reward the promotion of tolerance and reconciliation.
“Football symbolises the co-operation of individuals towards one goal, with respect to the opponents, and with respect to the laws and rules of the game. Tolerance is based on competition but also co-operation, on trust, but also rules and regulations,” Kantor said, according to his website, during the presentation.
“Samuel is a worthy recipient. Throughout his career he has taken a firm stance against racism bigotry, refusing to hide in the shadows, and as a consequence has raised awareness of racism in football and society.”
The award ceremony took place amid a time of rising racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism, both in general and in football.
Kantor added that football should be “a unifier rather than a divider. We should have a strong stand against hate, anti-Semitism and racism as people involved in the world of football,” he concluded.