Still ashamed and stupid racial slurs at the stadium. The mayor of Riccione, Daniela Angelinimet Benjamin the Great e Arthur Celino Alexandre Pinto Rodriguestwo of the four players of the United Riccione (the others are Mady Abonckelet ed Emmanuel Besea), victims of racist insults in Lombardy, in the home of Sant’Angeloduring the Group D match of the Series D. It all started after a clash on the pitch involving United Riccione star Mokulu. “They started yelling at me about everything – the player himself told the first citizen -. Usually I try to disconnect my mind, trying to pretend nothing happened to concentrate on the game, but there it was just impossible: they targeted me continuously. It was tremendous”. Mokulu asked the referee about what was happening. “I asked him if it was only me who was hearing those chants and those racist insults. I didn’t get an answer”. The very young Arthur, 18, found a similar attitude in the linesman. “I asked him to intervene, but nothing.” Artur was fired upon while he was warming up. “They yelled at me that I have to shut up because I’m black, as well as insulting me in every possible way.”
In the indifference of the referees Arthur, at that point in tears, was forced to interrupt the warm-up. “I couldn’t take it anymore. I preferred to go back to the bench rather than keep making me scream the worst things he’s ever heard.” The general director of United Riccione, Emile Capaldi, who accompanied the players to the mayor’s office, also reported death threats in the stands. The situation in the grandstand degenerated to the point that the Riccione delegation was escorted to the changing rooms by the carabinieri while the game was still in progress. “This is not football – Angelini said bitterly -, nothing that happened on Sunday can be accepted. Racism can never be considered normality, it cannot be considered a behavior to be overlooked. What happened on Sunday afternoon leaves me indignant: in the face of racist episodes, a referee has the duty to intervene and stop the match. And the club too should never play into the hands of its fans, if they commit racist behaviour, but should clearly distance themselves from them”.