Leicester Tigers winger Nemani Nadolo has called out the casual racism of some fans after his side announced the signing of Kini Murimurivalu on Monday. Following the announcement on social media, there were comments made by some relating to the pronunciation of the Fijian fullback’s name that his compatriot Nadolo took umbrage at.
He shared a screenshot on Twitter of the comments made and shared this message:
“A comment made on the signing of my mate Kini Murimurivalu by one of the supporters.. sorry but I don’t stand for this shit…I’ll let head office know tomorrow to change my name to Bob to make it easier for some!”
A comment made on the signing of my mate Kini Murimurivalu by one of the supporters.. sorry but I don’t stand for this shit…I’ll let head office know tomorrow to change my name to Bob to make it easier for some!.. oh yeah I bet it was joke to 😑 #casualRasicim pic.twitter.com/SRHAT9NoHB
— nemzy (@nemani_nadolo) July 20, 2020
Nadolo addressed the matter again on Tuesday, saying he bears no grudges but hopes “we can all respect each other whether it’s our name, race or religion”.
What was said is said. I hope we can all respect each other weather it’s our name race or religion. That being said I hold no grudges Looking forward to a big day of training.. #tigersfamily #moveon ❤️🙌🏾
— nemzy (@nemani_nadolo) July 21, 2020
The irony in this situation has also been noted on Twitter, as the phonetically spelt Murimurivalu actually makes more sense than the word Leicester in terms of pronunciation. Nonetheless, Nadolo hopes to move on after this incident.
Anyone who claims the phonetically-spelt “Murimurivalu” is hard but “Leicester” is easy isn’t about the pronunciation.
— Tim O’Connor (@timoconnorbl) July 21, 2020
Murimurivalu arrives at Welford Road after eight years with La Rochelle in the Top 14, and was one of five signings on Monday, alongside Luke Wallace, Kobus Van Wyk, Guy Porter and Matias Moroni.
The Fijian has arrived to help fill the void left by Telusa Veainu, who left Leicester at the beginning of the month following contract disputes. Jonny May, Jonah Holmes and Adam Thompstone had already moved on during rugby’s suspension as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the Tigers thin on the ground in the back three.
Nadolo is a fellow new signing at Welford Road, although that was announced months ago, and will team up with Murimurivalu for the first time since June 2018, having retired from Test rugby before the Rugby World Cup.
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