US midfielder Weston McKennie was subjected to racist abuse after Juventus completed a 2-0 season-opening win over Parma in Serie A, the Turin club said on Sunday.
Juventus posted a statement on social media saying McKennie was the target of “discriminatory racist remarks by individuals in the away section” while he was warming down with teammates on the pitch.
“Juventus strongly condemns this incident and any form of racism, and will ensure full cooperation with the sporting justice authorities to identify those responsible,” Juventus said in the statement.
Photo: La Presse via AP
McKennie, who joined Juventus in 2020, went on as a late substitute in the match in Turin where Canadian forward Jonathan David scored in his Italian Serie A debut for Juventus.
Parma also released a statement on Monday.
“Parma Calcio, in reference to the events that occurred last night after the match at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, firmly condemns all forms of racism and discrimination, both on and off the pitch,” they said. “Racial intolerance, or any other type of abusive behavior, is NEVER tolerated or acceptable and must therefore be addressed, fought, and condemned at all times.”
In 2023, ACF Fiorentina were hit with a suspended partial stadium ban after fans directed racist and discriminatory chants at McKennie and other Juventus players.
Sunday’s incident is the latest in a series of racism allegations in European soccer.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino last week described two incidents of alleged racist abuse which marred DFB-Pokal games as “unacceptable.”
Infantino’s comments were in the wake of allegations Schalke 04’s Christopher Antwi-Adjei was subjected to racist abuse in a cup game at Lokomotive Leipzig and a Kaiserslautern substitute was racially abused while warming up in a game at RSV Eintracht.
British police arrested a man on suspicion of racially abusing AFC Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during an English Premier League game on Aug. 16.
The man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense after Semenyo, who is black, reported to the referee that he was racially abused by a spectator in the first half of Bournemouth’s match against Liverpool at Anfield.
Nineteen wickets fell yesterday on an opening day of carnage in the first Ashes Test, with England’s attack led by skipper Ben Stokes bowling them into a position of strength after Australia dismissed the tourists for 172. A rampaging Mitchell Starc took 7-58 to put England on the back foot after Stokes won the toss on a fine day at a packed Perth Stadium and chose to bat. Harry Brook (52) and Ollie Pope (46) offered the only resistance as they crumbled after lunch, but England’s elite fast bowlers, led by an exceptional Stokes with 5-23, fought back to reduce the hosts
Paul Pogba on Saturday described his emotional Monaco debut as a moment of relief and gratitude, after the French midfielder returned to the pitch for the first time in more than two years following a doping ban. The former Juventus and Manchester United player, who joined the French Ligue 1 side on a free transfer in June, had not played a competitive match since September 2023. Pogba received a four-year ban in February last year after testing positive for banned substance DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after an appeal at the Court
FINAL STRETCH: After the McLaren drivers’ disqualifications, Verstappen’s chances of a fifth successive title would depend on another big slip-up from Norris and his team Formula One world champion Max Verstappen on Saturday produced a masterful drive to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix and his title hopes were boosted further with the McLarens of championship leader Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri being disqualified. Norris finished the race in second with Piastri fourth, but the skid blocks on both cars were found after the race to be less than the minimum depth. The disqualifications mean that with two race weekends remaining, four-time defending champion Verstappen is level on points with Piastri in the title race, just 24 points behind Norris. However, Verstappen’s chances of a
Houston’s Calen Bullock on Thursday intercepted reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Josh Allen twice and the league’s top defensive unit powered the Texans over Buffalo 23-19. Allen was sacked eight times, his most in any game, for 70 lost yards and Bullock’s final pickoff killed the Bills’ last desperate drive with 18 seconds remaining. The Texans, who have allowed the NFL’s fewest points and fewest yards a game this season, shut down Allen, who produced six touchdowns in a victory over Tampa Bay just four days earlier. “The defense stayed disciplined,” Houston’s Danielle Hunter said. “We had a game plan to keep him