Zambia's Banda and France's Umtiti Racially Abused in Serie A Match

Zambia's Banda and France's Umtiti Racially Abused in Serie A Match

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:21 PM
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  • More allegations have brought shame upon the prejudicial hotbed that is Italian sport
  • This time, the attention turned to a Serie A match between Lecce and Lazio
  • Zambian international Lameck Banda and French world cup winner Samuel Umtiti were subjected to racist abuse

It didn't take long for accusations of racism to be levelled against the supporters of an Italian team.

This time, it was the turn of repeat offenders Lazio to have a finger pointed at them.

racism, lameck banda, zambia, samuel umtiti, cameroon, france, serie a, lecce, lazio
Lecce's Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda were subjected to racist abuse in the Serie A. Image source: Getty Images.
Source: Getty Images

TRTWorld reported that Lecce players Lameck Banda (Zambia) and Samuel Umtiti (France) were racially abused during a Serie A encounter on Wednesday. World cup winner Umtiti - born in Cameroon reportedly left the pitch in tears as a result of the vile abuse, before the referee halted the disgraceful proceedings. He also insisted that the match continue, a courageous and upstanding gesture that was lauded far and wide, with Lecce supporters reportedly drowning out the visitors' chants.

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According to India Today, FIFA president Gianni Infantino responded on Instagram:

"Let's shout it loud and clear: NO TO RACISM! May the huge majority of fans, who are good people, stand up to shut up all the racists once and for all!"

Lazio's ultra-fans the "Irriducibili" are hardcore supporters, having been linked with the country's far-right since the 1970s.

Nomvethe talks about racist abuse

Racism will probably never go away in football even if progress is made to eradicate it.

Many African footballers have been subjected to this scourge on their travels in Europe.

TimesLIVE reported that former Bafana Bafana striker Siyabonga Nomvethe spoke about his experiences in Italy.

Ronaldo pledges support for Vinicius Jr

Ronaldo Nazario de Lima has got growing superstar Vinicius Junior’s back.

The Brazilian legend has come out in support of the Real Madrid attacker, after he once again was racially abused in Spain.

Vini Jr was racially abused by Real Valladolid’s supporters during a recent La Liga fixture between the two sides. Fans made monkey noises as the player walked off the pitch after being substituted. Video footage also showed some fans throwing bananas at him.

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