Jawo: I know how to react to racism. He knows Czech, he just avoids hooks

For him, language is also a help in the situation that happened to him during his engagement in Zlín. One person racially insulted him, but Jawo answered him in Czech and derailed him. In an interview with Sport.cz, the twenty-nine-year-old striker talks about language, racism, but also about his engagement in Italy or how he is a good soul of the Boleslav club.

I think yes. It has a big impact on how people see you. They perceive that you can defend yourself, react in their language. It gives you a completely different power than if you only spoke one language. I don’t judge guys who don’t speak Czech. Czech is a very difficult language. So I understand friends or other foreigners who don’t sacrifice that time for Czech. But I have it differently.

Wherever I go, I need to know the language in order to communicate and be self-sufficient. That’s a priority for me. I can communicate with coaches or teammates. I can go to the mall and take care of everything myself. Then when I start speaking somewhere, people tell me (switches from English to Czech): ‘You speak Czech well. How long do you live here? It is good.’ (switches back to English). I switch between both languages. I think it is very important to speak the language spoken in the country.

Practically yes. Sometimes I make a complex sentence, but I know a lot of vocabulary and I can speak too.

No, I don’t use that. That would make my tongue twist (laughs).

It was the second time. I didn’t even want this scene to become so familiar. But sometimes it turns out that way. When someone makes a racist attack on you, many people may react aggressively, violently or in similar ways. And I think that a person like the one in that store expected such a reaction. And then if you insult him, he will use violence, and you are still the bad guy.

Yes, I started filming it, I made fun of it, I laughed. And when I started to speak Czech, he panicked. The video shows how he assaulted me. Everything was the opposite. He wanted to make a fool out of me and in the end he was the fool. But racism is also in Italy or everywhere else. However, there is no place for him in football or elsewhere in society. Just nowhere. I believe we are all the same. But I felt as good in Zlín as here in Mladá Boleslav. This incident does not change my view of the people here.

Yes. Everyone can have a different opinion on this. This (racism) happened to me twice, for some it happens every day, for some it never happened. It depends on where you are and what kind of people you meet. The case I was talking about affected me. Because I know how to react, how to resist so as not to hurt myself. Anyway, I have to admit that the situation here is significantly better than when I came here. Dark skinned players have been here before me, people don’t stare at me. It got better.

It’s good for me here. The city is not so big and is quite quiet. There is not much noise, everything is close. That suits me. That’s why I live here.

With girlfriend. She is Czech and from Prague. Sometimes he is here with me, but because of work he also has to be in Prague.

You never know. Sometimes you have plans and then life takes a completely different direction. I believe in God and destiny. What God plans for you is what is best for you, not what you want in life. Because sometimes he wants what is not good for you.

It’s the same for me as if I lived anywhere else. I have limited hobbies. When I come home, I rest, sleep, read, watch series or play playstation. When we have a day or two off, I go to Prague and go to the wellness center to better regenerate. Then I will stay with my friends and return to Boleslav. I always have such a program.

I know they are here. James Gomez was still in Sparta. I know them by name, but not personally. We don’t know each other from Gambia, we are not in contact with each other. But I have other friends here. Among them, for example, Mohamed Tijani, who was in Slavia, Pilsen and now works in Switzerland. We are still in touch, he is a really very good friend of mine.

We are all part of the team. I talk really a lot and with everyone. Not just with Benson or Solomon. I probably talk the most, it’s natural for me (smile).

The club is like a family. It was not difficult for me to follow more experienced teammates in this direction, such as Mára (Matějovský – author’s note). They also follow the children to the academy, that motivated me. It’s beautiful how everything works here, from management, through coaching teams, players and other people.

Possible. I know a few of them really like me. Wherever I am, he shouts at me, talks to me. I am happy that I have a good relationship with the young players, especially the children. It’s nice and natural to me.

I have loved football since I was a child, but parents in Africa generally want their children to study, to have an education, because then they can have a better future. When I was growing up, Gambian internationals started to become famous and go to Europe. Little by little, the parents changed their minds. I was happy that I got the chance to go to Italy. I started in amateur competitions, then step by step I got to the fourth league. And from there to the second league, where I became a professional. It has not been an easy journey, but I am grateful for it.

It was a big and important step for me. It’s a really noticeable change when you go from Africa to Italy. There, even the fourth league is very demanding, because there are players at the end of their career who previously played in Serie A or Serie B. It took me a long time to adapt to the system there. I was helped by a family in Italy who raised me.

Especially my Italian dad, Bruno Pirrodi, who is from Sardinia. Yes, I’ll take it. He took care of me, bought me a ball, took me to training sessions. He had a team in the sixth top division, but then he sent me up. Football is his passion. I got into professional football step by step. It was an interesting journey, because of it I am who I am today. She shaped my character.

I made a good move, I went here for the project outlined to me. Somewhere in another country I might get more money or something like that, but I wanted to be in a team that has ambitions to be in the top five and wants to get to European cups. You are my dream. Now we will play for them in the superstructure and I believe that next year again. I have the same goals as the club itself, that’s important to me. I will try to fulfill them as best as possible.

Play European cups, ideally with Mlada Boleslav. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the Champions League, I would definitely try the Europa League or the Conference League. Not everyone has the chance to become a professional footballer. I appreciate it very much. Everyone can achieve their dream. I will tell you one example.

When I was on vacation in Africa a year or two ago, I brought shoes to the cabin for the guys there. And some of them are professionals today, for example Yankuba Minteh is active in Feyenoord and has played in the Champions League. We were born in the same city, I brought him his boots and then he watched him play in the Champions League against Atlético Madrid.

This is a private matter, but I think this is a priority for every African player. Because the reason we are here (in Europe – author’s note) is our families. It is important to provide a better life for people in Africa who did not have the chance like us.