Rabat – French footballer Samuel Umtiti and Zambian striker Lameck Banda who play for Italian Serie A club Lecce were victims of racist chants from fans of the Italian club Lazio.
Racist chants were directed at the two players yesterday as Lecce defeated Lazio 2-1 in their Serie A match.
Eurosport reported that Umtiti left the pitch in tears following the racist abuse he was subjected to from Lazio fans.
According to the same source, when Referee Livio Marinelli heard the chants, he stopped the game and had a message played over the announcer system saying that the game would be permanently halted if the chants did not stop.
Lecce fans were quick to respond and shouted Umtiti’s name to stop the racist chants.
“The cheers of encouragement for our champion drowned out the racist insults!” Lecce posted on Twitter, with the hashtag #KeepRacismOut.
? ???? ???????? ???? ????? ???????? ?? ?????? ?’???????????????! ????? ?? ?????? ??????????? ?? ???????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ???? @samumtiti !
#KeepRacismOut @SerieA pic.twitter.com/wqGWCOGDQ7
— U.S. Lecce (@OfficialUSLecce) January 4, 2023
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed full solidarity with the two abused players. “Solidarity with Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda – let’s shout it loud and clear: NO TO RACISM!,” he wrote in an instagram post.
Infantino urged the majority of fans to stand up, to shut up all the racists once and for all.
Racism has long been a major concern in world football.
Moroccan football players were also the victims of racist remarks during their recent World Cup Journey in Qatar.
In December, Danish TV2 channel compared images of Moroccan players celebrating with their families to a “family of monkeys.”
As it faced a strong backlash on the internet, however, the channel issued an apology, saying it regretted its “offensive and inappropriate” comments.
Read Also: Danish TV Under Fire for Comparing Moroccan Player to Monkeys
