Who would have thought we would be in 2019 and still football fans are attempting to justify racism? Romelu Lukaku was subjected to abhorrent abuse last week and some of his own fans have even attempted to justify it. Something needs to change and Demba Ba has called for action.
Ba’s comments were reported by French paper L’Equipe. He said he never wanted to play in Italy because of the racism and called for black players to leave the league:
And here’s the reason why I decided not to play there when I could… And at that point I wish all the black players would get out of this league! Surely it won’t stop their stupidity and hate but at least they won’t affect other races. https://t.co/whu1XexYmy
— Demba Ba (@dembabafoot) September 4, 2019
The latest shameful episode in Italy came when Cagliari fans aimed monkey chats at the Belgian during their game on Sunday. Things have become even worse as the BBC reported on the reaction of some of Inter’s “ultras”.
They seem to claim it wasn’t racist and was in fact “gamesmanship” and a form of respect. They are also quoted as saying ” We are sorry you thought what happened was racist”
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This shows the real problem, not only is this sort of abuse still going on, the fans actually seem to think its justified and simply part of their culture.
It’s embarrassing and shameful for Italians to have this sort of behaviour presented to the world, but you have to feel the more it goes on then black players will start to actively shun the league.
Ba’s suggestions may seem radical but there doesn’t seem to be any other solution. Its a shame because the Italian league is brilliant to watch from a football point of view, but if the fans can’t behave like civilised humans then they don’t deserve a thriving league.
You would think something will change soon, but if history suggests anything it’s absolutely not to hold your breath on this one.