By Emre Asikci
ISTANBUL (AA) - Paola Egonu, one of the stars of Italian volleyball, said Thursday that "Italy is a racist country."
"Italy is improving from this point of view, and I don't want to play the victim, but I'm saying how things are," Egonu said at a press conference for the 73rd Sanremo Music Festival.
Egonu, who was born in Italy to Nigerian parents, said she is considering whether to return to the Italian national team, adding: "I've never left Italy. I chose to play in Türkiye to grow up and come back here."
The 24-year-old VakifBank player threatened to quit the national team because of racist comments towards her after their third-place finish at the 2022 FIVB Women's World Championship.
Egonu, one of the prolific players in women's volleyball, won the CEV Women's Champions League twice -- in 2019 with Igor Gorgonzola Novara, and in 2021 with Carraro Imoco Conegliano.
She helped her nation win the silver medal at the 2018 FIVB Women's World Championship.