Former Torino footballer Omolade Oluwaehegun Akeem was found dead in a car in the Italian city of Palermo on Monday morning. The Nigerian, who once played against Inter and who helped tackle racism in Italy, has been a symbol of African struggles and pride in this European country.
An autopsy has been ordered to find out the cause of death. There were no visible wounds or injuries on his body, so violence has been ruled out. He has been suffering from pain in his leg for several days and was on his way to the hospital. His friend picked him up with his car to take him for an examination, but Omolade started feeling unwell. His friend called for help right away, but it was too late.The Kaduna-born striker’s career started off with a bang as he moved to Italy at the age of 17 and quickly started playing for then-Serie B club Treviso in 2001. Akeem was only an 18-year-old from Nigeria beginning at a small Italian club, but he would soon make national and even worldwide news after he was insulted because of the colour of his skin – by his team’s supporters.Wednesday, 18.00: (1.65) Kano Pillars (3.35) Dakkada (5.70)To show solidarity with their young teammate, the entire squad coloured their faces black for the next match, a move that was made out of good intentions but ended up branded as at least mildly racist by some. But that’s a story for another day.Il #3giugno 2001 i calciatori del Treviso, serie B, entrano in campo contro il Genoa con la faccia dipinta di nero in segno di solidarietà verso il loro compagno #AkeemOmolade, la domenica prima a Terni oggetto di ululati razzisti da parte degli ultras neofascisti trevigiani. pic.twitter.com/hxCasqkr65— Mario Bianchi #fascismoèreato #fuckPutin 🇺🇦 (@mariobianchi18) June 3, 2021 The career of young Akeem looked promising nevertheless and Serie A club Torino signed him in in time for the 2001/02 campaign. He made his debut in the Italian top tier against Inter in February 2003.It was to prove the highlight of Omolade’s footballing career, however. He failed to make a real impact in the top division and had to drop down to Serie C1 with Novara. In the 14 years that followed, Omolade played for many teams in the lower echelons of Italian football while working as a court interpreter.