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Ex-Roma star Nainggolan: Antwerp treated me like a parasite

Former Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan has hit out at the way he was treated by Royal Antwerp.

The veteran has since signed for Serie BSPAL.

He told Antwerp Gazette: "They treated me like a parasite, a piece of sh*t… When I was put in the B team the players then tried to convince Overmars to keep me with the A team, it was a good thing for me, but nobody really dared to go against Gheysens (the Royal Antwerp president).

“I continued to do my best in the B team, tried to support those young guys and made no mistakes there. But how I was treated in the last weeks there, I have never seen that before. And I have been in many places.

“I couldn't go in the main entrance anymore, I could only go in at times when the first team wasn't there, I had to go to a different locker room every day, I was treated like a pest.

“At one point my watch was even stolen because the young players were constantly going in and out of that locker room.

“My daughters were one of the main reasons why I returned to Belgium. Whereas before I only saw them during holidays, since I returned to Antwerp, they have lived with me full-time again. Everyone knew quite well how important this was for me.

“So, I wanted to stay in Belgium, for my daughters. To do that, however, I would have had to leave more money. It wasn't a problem, here at SPAL I play for 'peanuts', but for seriousness. Gheysens forced me to leave Belgium after I had already lost a million.

“He just wanted me out of the country. He's a great businessman, but that's where it ends. That Antwerp took away my enjoyment of football, but I'll get it back. But I will never forgive him for having to leave my daughters behind."

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