The Ghana international says he wants to be back playing at the highest-level after Swansea boss admitted he is too good to play in the Championship
Thursday 10 September 2020 10:20, UK
Swansea forward Andre Ayew feels the Black Lives Matter movement may not achieve equality for this generation, but he hopes it will for the next.
The Swansea and Ghana forward spoke to Sky Sports News about his personal experiences of racism and said while the problem will not be solved overnight, people must be confident their work to fight social injustice will eventually prevail.
Sport across the world has come together through the Black Lives Matter movement to fight for change after the death of George Floyd on May 25, after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
Ayew told Sky Sports News: "I think the movement can achieve what we all want - equality, that's all.
"We've been through this so long that we just feel like enough is enough. Let everything be okay for everyone, let's just let it be equal for everyone.
"It's going to be hard but if we all keep believing and feeling like everything we're doing is right and for the right cause, then I think that we'll make it.
"Everything goes with a process. Start every day, move forward, higher and higher - and I feel like people are understanding what we mean.
"When I feel not only black people standing and talking about it, even white people, then you know that you're starting to get somewhere.
"It's going to be very hard but we need to keep believing in what we're doing and get the equality that we want to get, that's the main thing.
"At the end of the day, maybe this generation will not enjoy that equality but the next one will get it if we keep doing what we're doing."
Ayew, who signed for Swansea in 2015 having previously played in France with Marseille, says it was difficult moving to Europe as an African player
But he says trailblazers like his father, Abedi Pele - the three time African Player of the Year and former Marseille attacking midfielder - and strikers Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba have made the transition easier.
He said: "If you look back to the years before my dad's time, it was even worse than now. These players like my dad paved the way for everyone to come in and prove that black people can do the job in Europe.
"I remember playing in Russia in the Europa League versus (Zenit) St. Petersburg, getting bananas thrown everywhere.
"People have gone through worse, I'm talking about my personal experience, but I've seen friends going through things and I just feel like that's not how it should be.
"We need to make sure that we stamp our foot on the floor and make sure that it changes. Nothing's easy but we need to keep going and not give up in what we believe in. I think that can take the world to another level."
Ayew has one year left on his deal at Swansea and is set for talks about his future with head coach Steve Cooper.
Cooper has admitted the Ghana international, who opted to stay with Swansea last season and fight for promotion, is too good to play in the Championship.
Ayew believes he is in a stage of his career where he "knows his body one hundred per cent" and told Sky Sports News "the best of me is still ahead" as he set out his clear aim of returning to top-flight football.
"When you've always played at the highest level, that's where you want to be every time," said Ayew, who has also played top-flight football for Marseille, West Ham and Fenerbahce.
"I took a decision last season, even though I had interest from other clubs, to stay at the club because I had a long discussion with the manager.
"He made me want to stay, the fans made me feel like they wanted me here to go for the Premier League.
"I stayed here and did the job, we all did the job, and we missed out on promotion narrowly. But, it's fact that when you've played at the highest level you always want to be there."
