AC Milan have hit out after several black players in the Serie A side’s under-10 squad allegedly suffered racist abuse at the hands of parents attending an international junior soccer tournament over the Easter weekend.
The incidents are believed to have taken place during the side’s 4-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Universal Cup in Forte dei Marmi in Tuscany, Italy, on Sunday.
Players’ agent Mino Raiola, who represents Mario Balotelli and Zlatan Ibrahimovic among other top stars, sounded the alarm when he posted a message about the scenes on Twitter late on Sunday.
“In shock about today’s Milan/PSG in Universal Cup, parents booing colour 10 year olds. Heads up boys we’re stronger than weak ignorant racists,” Raiola said.
Milan on Monday did not confirm whether the incidents took place, but said if confirmed they were “unacceptable.”
“We have been told of alleged incidents of a racist nature during yesterday’s game between Milan and PSG in which colored kids were targeted by ‘people’ attending the game,” the statement said. “We do not want to amplify or exaggerate anything, but we sincerely hope the allegations are unfounded or that it has been an isolated case. However, if they are true, it is absolutely unacceptable.”
AC Milan’s team went on to win the tournament, beating Inter 4-0 in the final.
“Milan thoroughly deserved to win the tournament in what has been a big footballing and life experience, a group that has been strengthened after Sunday’s alleged racist incident and now has nothing but satisfaction for their success out on the pitch,” a club statement said.
It is the latest in a long line of incidents of a racist nature to sully Italian soccer.
In January 2013, former AC Milan forward Kevin Prince-Boateng reopened the debate into how to tackle racism in soccer when he and several other black players were targeted by racists during a friendly with a lower-division side. Boateng walked off the pitch, his teammates followed and the game, against Aurora Pro Patria 1919, was abandoned.
Boateng and former teammate Balotelli were targeted by monkey chants later that season by fans of rival Serie A side AS Roma.
More recently, former Italy and AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi kicked up a storm that warranted a stiff response from the Italian government when he complained under-20 teams in Italy contained “too many blacks.”
Graziano Delrio, the state secretary to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who also holds responsibility for sport in the Italian council of ministers, hit out.
“The Italy of 30 years ago is not the Italy of today,” Delrio said. “Today, there are young players who are Italian citizens in fact and by right given that they were born and raised in Italy, even if their parents had overseas roots. They are part of the young generations who go to our schools, who play on our football and sports fields, and the theme of skin color is certainly not where we should start trying to revitalize our youth system.”
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