Exodus Geohaghon says he will not put his life at risk by returning to train with Port Vale following his racism ordeal.
Port Vale midfielder keen to tackle racism
Exodus Geohaghon has declared that he will not put his life at risk by returning to train with Port Vale following his racism ordeal.
The versatile 26-year-old only joined the Valiants from Peterborough on loan in January but last month was involved in a confrontation with his own fans following the 3-0 defeat at Accrington.
Geohaghon revealed afterwards that he had been racially abused by some Vale supporters and would be seeking legal advice.
He has been at home since March as he waits to learn more from the Professional Footballers' Association and, while insisting he is not on strike, is not prepared to go back to work until his safety can be guaranteed.
"My life is too important to be put at risk," he told the
Daily Mirror. "Especially when fans say to your face: "I'm gonna kill you, you n****r c***.
"I was told there was a group of 20-30 fans waiting for me after the game. Nobody knows who they are and when it comes to training the training ground is easily accessible.
"So as no measures have been put in place since then the PFA have told me to stay at home. I still haven't heard anything and neither have they.
"I'm not on strike or anything like that. There is the opportunity to go back and train.
"But my life is worth more than football. Not that I am scared or anything, but there is nothing to prevent another incident.
"People don't like to tackle these issues because they are uncomfortable for them and they'd like to believe they have gone away. But I am going through it first hand."
Clubs must do more
Geohaghon maintains that racism is still a problem in the English game and has urged clubs to confront the issue rather than turn a deaf ear.
He explained: "You'll get clubs who want to protect their image so instead of admitting they've got a problem and dealing with it, they'll dodge the issue and say they didn't hear anything or nothing has been reported.
"But the players hear it. Trust me. People say it's a generational thing but when I look back at the people who were directing it at me, they were people in their fifties down to teenagers.
"There is something wrong at a football club where they feel they can get away with it.
"The amount of money you earn doesn't give people the right to abuse me because of the colour of my skin.
"If I was to walk into a shop and hurl that abuse at someone I'm likely to get arrested.
"You have to ask yourself why clubs are not doing more to stop people behaving that way at their grounds."
