Clare footballer Ikem Ugwueru: 'The game is for everyone'

Clare Gaelic footballer Ikem Ugwueru has said the reaction of Lee Chin's Wexford team-mates to racial abuse aimed at the hurler is the yardstick for everyone dedicated to stamping out such behaviour.

Ugwueru, born in Dublin to Nigerian parents, helped the Banner to a Munster SFC semi-final win over Limerick on Saturday.

Earlier this month there was widespread condemnation after an incident where a watching supporter abused Chin during an inter-county challenge match between Wexford and Tipperary in Carrick-on-Suir.

Wexford players immediately confronted the supporter in question, and the game was blown up early by the referee.

"I feel sorry for Lee Chin.... but the reaction from his team-mates was top class," Ugwueru told Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1.

"That's how all of us should be really. If your team-mates are ever in bother, everyone should come around him and support him. The whole situaton is very, very bad.

"I've known most of my teammates for most of my life so if anything was to happen to me, even if it wasn't a racial comment, they'd always have my back."

When asked if he'd ever experienced racist abuse when playing Gaelic football, Ugwueru replied: "I have a little bit, more so when I was younger.

"Not too much. I'm not going to say it happens all the time, it's just a small few instances. I kind of take it as motivation in a way, like, 'I'm going to show you that everyone is allowed to play this game, that you should discriminate against me on the colour of my skin or where I'm from or whatever'.

"The game is for everyone."

Both Ugwueru and Kerry star David Clifford are part of Supervalu's Community Includes Everyone campaign, which focuses on encouraging diversity and inclusion in Gaelic games.

Clifford