FUNSO Ojo admits he was thankful when people ‘rioted’ at the US Capitol building as it could be good for his career – by bringing the fight against racism in stark focus.
However, he can understand why Wilfried Zaha describes taking a knee before matches as ‘degrading.’
Wigan’s Funso Ojo is a passionate supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement
The Wigan midfielder has been the victim of monkey chants during his time in Holland and is a passionate believer in the Black Lives Matter movement.
And when former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol building, and the way it was dealt with, he was thankful as it showed why the cause exists in clear vision.
Ojo, on loan from Aberdeen, said: “What happened in the Capitol was probably the best thing that could’ve happened for us of different nationalities and colours.
“Now people understand what we were talking and complaining about as there was a massive difference in how that situation got handled.
“The day after it happened, the physio at Aberdeen said, ‘Now that’s happened, I understand the Black Lives Matter movement. I see what you mean.’
Ojo believes the Capitol riot may prove a good thing for the Black Lives Matter movementCredit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
“He was like, ‘It can’t be that bad,’ but that was a pure riot and nothing happened. That’s when he said, ‘Now I understand.’
“I’ll still take a knee as racism is still there – if anything it’s not getting better.
“Tendayi Darikwa here says he won’t do it any more, he’s on the same page as Zaha but it’s a personal matter, I can see where Wilfried is coming from.
“But I look at where it started with Colin Kaepernick in the NFL and what it stood for at the start. I understand what Wilfried’s saying but it’s a symbol and a message.
Ojo admits he thinks about Colin Kaepernick taking the knee when people say Black Lives Matter is losing its relevanceCredit: AP:Associated Press
“Those type of players in the public eye still get a lot of messages, maybe more now as it’s in the public eye. So maybe they think, ‘It’s not doing anything.’”
Belgian Ojo, 29, swapped life in Aberdeen for crisis club Wigan but the way things operate, he would not know the club is in administration.
And he is adamant they can still stay in League One, even though they face leaders Peterborough today.
But while he believes the competition in England’s third tier is stronger and deeper than the Scottish Premiership, the air is worse in Greater Manchester.
Ojo admits he felt like he was on Peaky Blinders when he mistook a strong Scouse accent at Wigan for a Birmingham oneCredit: BBC
Some of the accents around the place also take some getting used to.
Ojo, who himself has a slight Scottish twang, added: “There are too many Scousers here, all I hear is, ‘All right, all right, all right.’
“I thought our assistant coach had a Birmingham accent at first but apparently it’s a string scouse accent.
“When he spoke, I felt like I was in Peaky Blinders!”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
