Gattuso joins calls for matches to be stopped after racism
Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti was upset that play continued following alleged abuse of Kalidou Koulibaly and has received support from Gennaro Gattuso.
AC Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso joined Napoli counterpart Carlo Ancelotti in calling on referees to suspend matches marred by racism. Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly was allegedly the subject of racist chants during Napoli's loss to Inter Milan at San Siro on Boxing Day.
Kick racism out
Ancelotti claimed the visitors asked three times for the game to be called off and suggested the Partenopei would "stop play ourselves" the next time an incident occurred. Gattuso echoed his former coach's demands for a zero tolerance stance.
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"I could not agree more with what Ancelotti said," Gattuso told Milan TV. "Certainly we're not the only nation where these things happen. Just look at England, which has a great sporting culture. I think it's time for football to stop, for the games to be interrupted. We have to improve, it's almost 2019. Too often there are four idiots starting these chants. I don't think Italy is a racist country, because there are so many immigrants. It's right that games are halted."
There’s no place for racism in football. There’s no place for racism anywhere at all. pic.twitter.com/d2YwWSbXJe
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) December 27, 2018
Players speak out
Players including Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter captain Mauro Icardi have publicly condemned racism in the aftermath of the ugly episode. Liverpool star Mohamed Salah also shared a message of support for Koulibaly, posting a picture of himself in action against the defender on Twitter and writing: "There's no place for racism in football. There's no place for racism anywhere at all."