Defender Nedum Onuoha says he has a “fear and distrust” of the Police in the United States (US).
Despite plying his trade at Real Salt Lake in the Major League Soccer, the 33-year-old says he has never felt completely safe in the US.
Onuoha made the revelation following the gruesome murder of George Floyd, a black man on whose neck a white police officer kneeled for almost eight minutes.
Floyd’s death has sparked protests in Minneapolis and other cities, as many take to the streets to demonstrate against police brutality and racial injustice.
Onuoha, who was born in Nigeria but grew up in the UK, said he has always been “wary of how I behave and how it could be viewed by people who have power.”
Speaking to the BBC, he said anytime he steps out in the US, he never feels 100 per cent safe.
“I don’t like to say it but I have a fear and distrust towards police. I have loved living in this country but there’s (another) side … I never go out and feel 100% safe,” he said.
Onuoha started his football career at Manchester City, before moving to QPR in the summer of 2012, where he spent six years.
Having lived in England for the better part of his life, the defender believes gun laws in the US have contributed to the high levels of police brutality.
“In the UK I’m more comfortable because if something happens it probably will not be deadly. But over here because of their rights it’s more common that altercations become deadly.
“I’m comfortable but when it comes to any kind of brutality, if it’s from the police, if they read me the wrong way then my life could be taken. I feel that every single day,” he added.
