Milan will not be punished for abandoning a friendly with Pro Patria after racist abuse towards Kevin-Prince Boateng, decided the Disciplinary Commission today.
Milan will not be punished for abandoning a friendly with Pro Patria after racist abuse towards Kevin-Prince Boateng, decided the Disciplinary Commission today.
The incident hit the headlines when Boateng stormed off just 26 minutes into a midweek friendly in Busto Arsizio, an industrial town between Varese and Milan.
The rest of the team followed and, as the rules on what to do in these situations are unclear, some called for the player to be penalised.
This afternoon the Disciplinary Commission stated that “in the current rules no regulation allows for a team to interrupt a match and abandon the pitch if not in accordance with the decisions of the referee.
“However, the essential values that inform the sport and civilised society mean we cannot discipline a gesture of solidarity towards a man who was victim to crass insults exclusively targeted at the colour of his skin.”
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has repeatedly claimed that walking off the field in the presence of racist abuse “is not the answer.”