An Italian team has walked out of a lower league level game in protest after one of their players was subjected to racist insults by an opponent. ‘It was a unanimous decision.’
The incident occurred in the Molise region during a Prima Categoria match – the sixth tier of Italian football – between Sant’Angelo Limosano and Lokomotiv Riccia on Saturday.
The visitors walked off just before half-time when a player of Senegalese origin, Lamine Sow, was called ‘a monkey’ by an opposition player.
“Our player was repeatedly insulted with racist phrases by an opposition player,” explained Lokomotiv Riccia President Giuseppe Pontelandolfo.
“The decision to abandon the game was unanimous. Incidents like this must never happen, they must not be justified or minimised. The club and all the players condemn, with no excuses at all, any form of racism.
“We warmly embrace our player, hoping this will never happen again.”
Sow spoke to news agency ANSA about the horrible experience.
“He said twice, ‘Shut up, you are a monkey.’ It was awful. Some of my teammates heard it too.”
According to Moliseweb, the referee took no action, so the players decided to walk off.
The Mayor of Riccia, Pietro Testa, also released a statement condemning the racist abuse and supporting the team in their decision to walk away in protest.
It comes after incidents in Serie A where opposition fans from Cagliari and Verona aimed racist insults at Milan and Napoli players.
Insulti razzisti da un avversario, squadra abbandona il campo #ANSA https://t.co/0QZYjnQxVp
— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) March 27, 2022
Good. Well done Lokomotiv.