AS Roma footballer says there was 'no racist intent' in banana comment captured in video
(CNN)AS Roma player Felix Afena-Gyan says he believes there was "no racist intent" in a comment made by an unidentified person while the Ghanaian forward unboxed a new pair of shoes given to him by manager Jose Mourinho.
In a video posted on social media Monday, the 18-year-old forward is seen unwrapping the gift after he scored the only goals in Roma's 2-0 win over Genoa on Sunday.
In an otherwise touching moment, Afena-Gyan and Mourinho hug once the gift is initially revealed, but an unidentified person can be heard in the background saying, "There are bananas inside," in Italian.
Afena-Gyan, who is Black, and Mourinho do not appear to acknowledge what was said and the forward proceeds to try on the new shoes, smiling and laughing with his teammates.
"Look at this, it's a new model," Mourinho tells him in English, as Afena-Gyan smiles.
He then sits down and models the shoes for everyone in the room, who are all off camera, and even does a playful dance at the end to show them off.
Reuters reports Mourinho promised to buy him the shoes after the match.
The video has been posted on social media by an unknown person. CNN has also reached out to Afena-Gyan for more context on the story.
Hours after the video was posted on social, he also posted a clip on his Instagram but began the video immediately after the banana comment was made. He also added a lengthy message downplaying any racist intent regarding the remark.
"I have been reading a lot of comments about the video I published earlier today of a special moment for me with the coach," he wrote.
"I want to assure you all that I was not offended by the background comment made in the video in any way -- and that I truly believe there was no racist intent.
"Since the first day I arrived at the club I have been welcomed into the family by everyone, who have joked with me like they do all members of the family.
"Because they see that I eat bananas a lot that has become a thing we laugh about sometimes -- and I believe the comment was another example of that."
He also indicated he's moving on.
"Thanks for your concern," he wrote. "Now, let's get back to concentrating on the next game."
CNN has reached out to AS Roma for comment but has not received a response.
罗马足球俱乐部足球运动员说视频中捕获的香蕉评论中“没有种族主义意图”
（美国有线电视新闻网）作为罗马球员菲利克斯·阿芬纳-吉安说，他认为一名身份不明的人发表的评论“没有种族主义意图”，而加纳前锋打开了经理何塞·穆里尼奥送给他的一双新鞋。
在周一发布在社交媒体上的一段视频中，这位 18 岁的前锋在周日罗马 2-0 击败热那亚的比赛中打进了唯一的进球后打开了礼物。
在另一个感人的时刻，阿芬纳-吉安和穆里尼奥在礼物最初被曝光后拥抱，但可以听到背景中一个身份不明的人用意大利语说“里面有香蕉”。
布莱克的阿芬纳-吉安和穆里尼奥似乎并不承认所说的话，前锋继续试穿新鞋，和队友一起笑着说。
“看看这个，这是一个新模式，”穆里尼奥用英语告诉他，阿芬纳-吉安微笑着。
然后他坐下来为房间里的每个人都在做鞋子的模型，他们都在镜头外，甚至在最后跳了一段俏皮的舞蹈来炫耀。
据路透社报道，穆里尼奥承诺在比赛结束后给他买这双鞋。
该视频已由一名身份不明的人发布在社交媒体上。 CNN 还联系了 Afena-Gyan，以了解有关该故事的更多背景信息。
视频在社交媒体上发布数小时后，他还在自己的 Instagram 上发布了一个剪辑，但在香蕉评论发布后立即开始播放视频。他还添加了一条冗长的信息，淡化了有关该言论的任何种族主义意图。
“我一直在阅读很多关于我今天早些时候发布的视频的评论，这些视频是我与教练的一个特殊时刻，”他写道。
“我想向你们保证，我没有以任何方式被视频中的背景评论冒犯——而且我真的相信没有种族主义意图。
“从我来到俱乐部的第一天起，每个人都欢迎我加入这个家庭，他们像对待所有家庭成员一样和我开玩笑。
“因为他们看到我经常吃香蕉，这已经成为我们有时会笑的事情——我相信评论是另一个例子。”
他还表示他正在继续前进。
“谢谢你的关心，”他写道。 “现在，让我们重新专注于下一场比赛。”
CNN 已联系 AS Roma 征求意见，但尚未收到回复。
