Sulley Muntari: Racism is everywhere and getting worse

Muntari went towards the Cagliari crowd in the closing minutes of Pescara’s 1-0 defeat at the Sant’Elia after he heard a racist chant from a small group of people. But the Ghanaian was then booked by the referee, walked off in protest and received another yellow card, although his one-match ban was rescinded on appeal.

The incident received worldwide attention and Muntari says he has no qualms in repeating his protests to try and change things.

“I would walk off the pitch again and again,” Muntari said. “Racism is everywhere and getting worse. I went through hell, I was treated just like a criminal. I went off the field because I felt it wasn’t right for me to be on the field while I have been racially abused.

“My message is anyone who is abused should not be scared to talk, you should speak out. You should not be scared of anybody, you are strong, you should say whatever you want to say.”

This weekend saw another disappointing racist indicent in Serie A, with Juventus midfielder Medhi Benatia racially abused by an anonynous source through his earpiece while being interviewed live on television.

The television channel claimed that the slur came from the stadium rather than their own feed, but in a strongly worded statement Juventus have dismissed the claim and called for an immediate investigation.

"Following the regrettable insult Medhi Benatia heard through his earpiece during Calcio Champagne, Juventus Football Club wishes to express its concern over the incident," the statement read. "While acknowledging the RAI statement expressing solidarity, everyone - and the player first and foremost - deserves an explanation about what occurred.

"A number of informal comments, including on social media, have suggested the alleged "interference" came from the production service Juventus provided Rai Sport at Juventus Stadium. That suggestion is factually unbelievable and technically implausible, given the audio line (n-1) runs directly from RAI headquarters in Milan into the earpieces. On-site production does not have direct contact with the guest.

"Juventus hopes that Rai Sport's internal investigation continues without them resorting to excuses which tend to play down what happened and distort the facts."