Ainsley Maitland-Niles Reveals He Was Racially Abused At An U-13s Arsenal Game

By The Editor
on 12th December 2018

Arsenal starlet Maitland-Niles recounts his own experience with racism amid the Raheem Sterling storm…

Arsenal starlet Ainsley Maitland-Niles revealed that he’s had to endure his own share of racial abuse amid the storm surrounding Raheem Sterling and the incident at Stamford Bridge.

Maitland-Niles spoke eloquently about the systemic issue and has urged for it to be weeded out of the game once and for all. However, few could’ve predicted what the 21-year-old would later reveal.

The utility man stated that he received racist abuse while playing for the U13s in an away game in Germany, abuse of the similar nature to what those fans at Stamford Bridged are accused of hurling at Sterling.

He added that despite alerting the authorities, nothing was done which Maitland-Niles stated “hurt” him as he attempted to move on from the incident.

This past week has seen the world of football, especially in England, engage in some uncomfortable discussions about racism following Sterling’s public statement.

The Manchester City forward pointed the finger squarely at the media and their narrative when reporting on black footballers compared to their white counterparts (via Goal).

“I reported it, but nothing was done about it. I guess I just had to move on from it and become stronger. It hurts to talk about it, it hurts to think about it,” Maitland-Niles explained.

Check out the video above as the Arsenal starlet addresses his personal experience with racism and what he feels needs to be done.