ROME. The Federal Prosecutor, after acquiring the reports of its inspectors and listening to the player, opened an investigation into the racist expressions addressed by Fiorentina fans to the Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. In the next few hours, further investigative acts will be carried out by acquiring the relevant documents from the Florence Police Headquarters.
The episode took place during the match at the Franchi in the last round of the championship. The reaction on the pitch of the Napoli defender during the interview on the sideline after the match was strong, then the post on social media: «Shit monkey. They called me that. These subjects have nothing to do with sport. They must be identified and kept out of the stadiums: forever ». His teammate, Victor Osimhen, entrusted his thought to Twitter: “Talk to your children, your parents, make them understand how disgusting it is to hate an individual for the color of his skin.”
From the retirement of the national team in Appiano Gentile today came the words of Gigio Donnarumma: «We players are with him, we are against all discrimination. It is a shame to hear these things again, we are with Koulibaly and we follow every indication to fight racism ».
Words of condemnation towards racism and closeness to Koulibaly were expressed after the match from Fiorentina: “The purple club has firmly dissociated itself from the choirs and the racist offenses from the stands of the Franchi after Fiorentina-Napoli at the address of some opposing players “. From the Fiesole curve came insults also Osimhen and Anguissa, who would have reacted with a smile, the defender instead, according to Dazn, turned to whoever gave him the monkey saying: «Come and tell me to my face». Fiorentina’s general manager Joe Barone, informed of what had happened, at the end of the game went to apologize to Kouibaly, expressing the closeness of the club and reiterating “that these things are unacceptable to us”. Also taking into account that before and during the match there was some chorus of territorial discrimination.
It should be noted that the president violates. Rocco Commisso, who will leave for America in the next few hours, on the eve of the match against Napoli had recommended not to repeat it when it happened a few weeks in Bergamo, during the match with Atalanta, when a part of the audience had thrown at Vlahovic racist slurs. On the occasion, Commisso had harshly stigmatized the story.
The president of the Campania Region, Vincenzo De Luca, also spoke on the matter: «A very strong hug to Koulibaly, Osimhen and Anguissa, who suffered violent racist insults on the occasion of the victorious Napoli match in Florence. I very much appreciate the composure and dignity of their reaction; they are giving an extraordinary life lesson to haters ». «Racism – urges the Campania administrator – is a tremendous cancer to be eradicated. Those who utter such insults have nothing to do with cheering and sporting passion. This umpteenth serious episode cannot go unpunished. Video surveillance technologies make it possible to identify and prosecute the authors of the very serious sentences pronounced. With the gradual readmission of spectators, the stadiums are once again places of passion and celebration ».