Inter Milan manager Luciano Spalletti insists Italian football needs a complete change of its mentality after Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly suffered racial abuse in Inter’s 1-0 victory.
Gab Marcotti reacts to Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti’s post-match comments about the racist abuse aimed at Kalidou Koulibaly against Inter.
Inter Milan face a partial stadium closure after their supporters directed monkey chants at Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly on Boxing Day, while Italian police have confirmed a fan was killed in violent clashes outside the stadium before kick off.
The Mayor of Milan Beppe Sale — an Inter supporter — apologised to Koulibaly on Facebook for the racist abuse, and urged the club to take a stance after witnessing the scene in person.
Koulibaly, who was born in France and represents Senegal at international level, was shown a second yellow card for applauding the referee’s decision to book him for a foul on Inter’s Matteo Politano in the 81st minute of a game the Nerazzurri won 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Lautaro Martinez.
As Koulibaly was being shown a yellow card, monkey chants were clearly audible from a significant number of fans inside San Siro.
After he had been shown a second yellow card, his teammates tried to explain to referee Paolo Mazzoleni that the 27-year-old defender’s reaction was aimed more at the fans than at the official.
Further monkey chants could be heard as Koulibaly left the field.
“I am only sorry for the defeat and above all to have left my brothers,” Koulibaly wrote on Instagram after the match. “But I am proud of the colour of my skin; to be French, Senegalese, Neapolitan: a man.”
Lega Serie A confirmed Inter would face a partial stadium closure, with the Curva Nord shut for the next two matches, while Koulibaly will also face a two-match suspension: one for a fifth booking of the campaign and another for the red card.
Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti said he had asked three times for action to be taken prior to Koulibaly’s sending-off and he said next time they will take matters into their own hands and “leave the pitch, even if we have to lose the match.”
This is not the first time Koulibaly has been subjected to racist abuse in Serie A, having been insulted by fans of Lazio and Juventus in the past.
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo showed his support for Koulibaly by posting a picture of the two of them in action during this season’s clash in Turin.
“You always need education and respect in the world and in football. No to racism and any other offence and discrimination,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the president of the Italian Football Association, Gabriele Gravina, said on Thursday that he considered suspending Serie A following the trouble before confirming that the round of fixtures due to take place on Dec. 29 would go ahead as planned.
Two arrests have been made and the police are seeking a third suspect as a man was killed after being hit by a van close to the San Siro on Wednesday night following clashes involving rival groups of fans.
Police named 35-year-old Daniele Belardinelli, who was struck after a group of Inter ultras had stopped and attacked a van of Napoli supporters on their way to the stadium around an hour before kick-off, as the victim.
The Napoli fans got out of the van and fought back, with several receiving knife wounds, before getting back into the van on Via Novara — one of the main roads towards San Siro — and driving off, knocking down the Inter fan on their way.
He was taken to the city’s San Carlo hospital where he underwent emergency surgery on Wednesday night. However, doctors were unable to save his life and he was pronounced dead on Thursday morning.
Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly was racially abused by Inter Milan fans during his side’s 1-0 defeat at San Siro.
“We don’t know who was driving,” Chief Constable of Milan, Marcello Cardona said at a news conference. “Four other ultras were also injured, one has a cut and three have bruises. The police broke up the fighting and the crowds dispersed.
“We started investigating immediately and carried out some searches overnight. As things stand, we have made two arrests. They are Italians — two Inter ultras — and we are looking for another one. From the surveillance cameras, we have identified three for certain, but we cannot exclude that there will be more arrests.
“We have been working on the investigation since prior to the game. At the moment, we are not able to say who is responsible for the deceased.”
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