Diego Armando Maradona showed solidarity with Kalidou Koulibaly, claiming he too was “subjected to racist chants” while at Napoli.
Koulibaly was sent off during the 1-0 defeat to Inter on Boxing Day, although the referee was criticised for not suspending play for repeated racist abuse from the stands throughout the match.
Napoli fans wore Koulibaly masks during their 3-2 win over Bologna last night and club legend Maradona has also stepped forward with a message for the Senegal international.
“I played for seven years with Napoli and I too was subjected to racist chants from some fans,” wrote the Argentine on Instagram.
“I remember still the banners that read: ‘Welcome to Italy’. I feel even more Neapolitan now and want to be close to Koulibaly. I hope this incident can be a turning point, to eliminate racism from football once and for all.”
In Italy, chants of ‘territorial discrimination’ against Neapolitans or those from the South of the country are treated on the same level as racist abuse.
Juventus recently received a partial stadium ban for their ultras repeatedly singing an insulting song about Naples, urging nearby volcano Vesuvius to “wash it with fire.”
RealMd13
76
😱😱😱 Napoli legend Maradona shows solidarity with racially abused Koulibaly Me: Thank you 🙏🏾 Legend Diego Maradona for your support 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾 we love ♥️ you!
Charlesugwu
49
FIFA should do more about racism in football. The real victim in this case is our beautiful game...football. Koulibaly, you're not the loser. The real loser is football. If the entire players had staged a work out, then the world would have known that football is the loser. They hate you because you're better than them, stronger than them, you're the winner because the majority are with you.
Gunnersincebirth2
28
Racists are just jealous of blacks or they hate them for no reason, they always plot the downfall of others just for no reason. The white and the blacks need to join hands to make the world a better place to live. If racism was how the world was made to be, I doubt that the population of the world will be up to a billion. Italy especially need to look at countries like France and England who embrace each other no matter the colour of the skin. Why can't we all live together as one. Remember: Together we stand Divided we fall