Pescara Midfielder Walks Off After Abuse

Ghanaian takes a stand against racism

- Paddy Agnew

In a month when Juventus all but sealed the Italian title, the news was instead dominated by absurd scenes in Cagliari, where Pescara’s experienced midfielder Sulley Muntari, faced with racist abuse, walked off the pitch, picked up two yellow cards and received a one-match ban for his actions.

Capped 84 times by Ghana, the 32- year-old had decided that enough was enough. At the end of the first half, fed up with the constant stream of “monkey noise” abuse aimed at him, he walked over to a family of Cagliari fans and gave his team shirt to a child who was with his mother and father, asking the child to stop his animal noises and telling him that to insult a black footballer in that manner was “really horrible”.

Inevitably, Muntari’s move did not have the desired effect. Rather than quell the racist abuse, his gesture only increased it and when he was once again the object of abuse towards the end of the game, he turned to referee Daniele Minelli and called on him to suspend the game.