Racist abuse of Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly condemned by UEFA
Friday 28 December 2018 18:48, UK
Racist abuse aimed at Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly during Wednesday's 1-0 Serie A defeat at Inter Milan has been called "unacceptable" by UEFA.
FIFPro, the world players' union, and European football's governing body said on Friday they applauded the prompt action taken by the Italian league judge, who decided Inter's next two home matches should be played behind closed doors, and included a partial closure for the club's third home game.
In a joint statement they said the abuse had "no place in football".
"FIFPro and UEFA are very concerned by this unacceptable racist incident and by what appears on the surface to be a failure to respect the ... anti-racism protocol," the statement read.
Chelsea manager, and former Napoli boss, Maurizio Sarri is among those who have called for Italy to tackle its "problem", regarding racism in football.
Inter supporters allegedly made animal noises and racist chants at Napoli's Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly during the match - which also saw one fan was killed when he was hit by a car during a violent clash near the stadium before kick-off.
Luciano Spalletti, Inter's head coach, said it is "the moment to say 'enough' to hatred in football, 'enough' to racism and any form of discrimination in the stadium".
Spalletti said that Inter were "with Koulibaly, as we are at the side of all those who are targeted during the games".
