‘A lot of offensive message’– Arokodare clarifies celebration in tense Genk vs. Anderlecht clash

Nigerian forward, Tolu Arokodare, has addressed his goal celebration during the KRC Genk vs. Anderlecht match, explaining that it was not intended to provoke the fans, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 22-year-old center forward left a significant impact on the game against Anderlecht by heading in a late equalizer, securing a valuable point for his team in a tense encounter.

Arokodare’s goal celebration, during which he went directly to the fans, was perceived by some as provocative toward the away supporters. However, the Genk player clarified that his celebration was not meant to provoke anyone.

After the match, Arokodare revealed that he had received negative comments from the visiting fans before the game and during his warm-up. His celebration after scoring the late equalizer was simply his way of acknowledging his presence, not intended to provoke the fans.

Genk, having suffered a recent setback in their Europa Conference League qualification to Adana Demirspor, was on the brink of another potential loss in the match. Arokodare, who came off the bench in the 81st minute, delivered a crucial equalizer in the 96th minute.

Daniel Munoz initiated the play, making a dynamic run down the left side of the opponents’ box and delivering a pinpoint cross that Arokodare met with a swift close-range header, beyond the reach of Ludwig Augustinsson.

While celebrating his first Jupiler Pro League goal of the 2023-24 season, Arokodare emphasized that his actions were not intended to provoke the fans.

“That wasn’t to provoke them; you should know that I got a lot of offensive messages from Anderlecht supporters before the match. During the warming, they also tackled me again. So after my goal, I just waved at them to say, ‘Hello, I’m still here.'” he said, as quoted by Voetbalnieuws.

Arokodare joined Racing Genk as a replacement for Paul Onuachu, who moved to Southampton during the January transfer window.

Although he has faced injury setbacks and lost his starting spot to Ghanaian forward Joseph Paintsil, Arokodare remains determined to establish himself as a formidable striker and earn a place in Vrancken Wouter’s starting lineup in the 2023-24 season.

Tolu Arokodare reveals that his goal celebration against Anderlecht was not to provoke the fans pic.twitter.com/Ab9pZn6RiS

— Ayomide Oguntimehin (@ayo_oguntimehin) September 4, 2023