Kick It Out slams 'gutless' Italian authorities for Muntari ban

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Garth Crooks, an independent trustee at the organisation, urged black players in Italy to go on strike this weekend unless the ban is withdrawn, the campaign group said in a statement.

Kick It Out slams 'gutless' Italian authorities for Muntari ban

(Reuters)





Muntari was booked for dissent after complaining to the referee about the abuse on Sunday and left the pitch in protest during stoppage time, leaving his team to play the last few minutes with 10 men.

The Ghanaian was shown a second yellow card for leaving the pitch without permission, which the Serie A's disciplinary committee confirmed had triggered an automatic one-match ban.

The committee also said no action would be taken against Cagliari because only around 10 supporters were involved in abusing Muntari.

"The gutless failure to not take action by the Italian authorities should not be allowed to pass," Kick It Out said in a statement on Wednesday.

"It's unbelievable that Cagliari escaped punishment as 'only 10' fans were involved. This situation should never be allowed to happen again.

Italy and other countries have struggled to stamp out racist chants at games. In 2013, the AC Milan team left the pitch during a friendly in the town of Busto Arsizio after home fans insulted midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, another Ghanaian.

Under guidelines introduced following that incident, the referee is supposed to alert the fourth official who should in turn contact authorities policing games.





(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Lough)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world