Once again, fans of Lazio Rome caused a racism scandal in the Italian soccer championship. In the away game at US Lecce (1-2) on Wednesday, former French world champion Samuel Umtiti and his team-mate Lameck Banda were racially insulted by the hosts.
Referee Livio Marinelli even interrupted the game in the second half. After the game, Umtiti left the field in tears.
It was nice to see our fans chanting Umtiti’s name, drowning out those horrible screams. It was a civilized and intelligent answer.
Saverio Sticchi Damiani, President of Lecce
FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned the events on his Instagram account: “Let’s shout loud and clear: No to racism. May the vast majority of fans who are good people stand up and silence all racists once and for all.”
The Lazio supporters had repeatedly caused scandals in the past. Lecce President Saverio Sticchi Damiani, meanwhile, praised his own supporters, who responded to the events with shouts of Umtiti. “It was nice to see our fans chanting Umtiti’s name, drowning out those horrible screams. It was a civilized and intelligent response.”
Umtiti joined Lecce on loan from FC Barcelona in the summer. (dpa)
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