The Mayor of Milan has apologised to Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly on behalf of the city after monkey chants were aimed at him from Inter fans.
The Senegal defender, who was born in France, was shown a red card for applauding the referee’s decision to book him for a foul on Inter’s Matteo Politano in the 81st minute of a game the Nerazzurri won 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Lautaro Martinez.
As Koulibaly was being shown a yellow card, monkey chants were clearly audible from a significant number of fans inside the San Siro. And Mayor Beppe Sala — and Inter fan — urged the club to take a stance after witnessing the scene in person.
“I went to the stadium yesterday, following that passion which was passed on to me by my father,” Sala wrote on Facebook. “I celebrated Inter’s win but I came home crestfallen.
“Those ‘boos’ to Koulibaly were disgraceful. It was a disgraceful act aimed at a serious sportsman like him, who shows pride in the colour of his skin.
“Inter will do what they feel is the right thing to do, but I would like it if they gave the captain’s armband to [Kwadwo] Asamoah for the Empoli game.
“In the meantime, I would like to apologise to Kalidou Koulibaly in my own name and in the name of the decent city of Milan which aims to prove that you can feel like brothers, despite the difficult times we are living in.”
After Koulibaly had been shown a second yellow card, his teammates tried to explain to referee Paolo Mazzoleni that the 27-year-old defender’s reaction was aimed more at the fans than at the official.
Further monkey chants could be heard as Koulibaly left the field. Inter will likely face sanctions when the Lega Serie A announce their disciplinary report into the incidents.
“I am only sorry for the defeat and above all to have left my brothers,” Koulibaly wrote on Instagram after the match. “But I am proud of the colour of my skin; to be French, Senegalese, Neapolitan: a man.”
Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti said he had asked three times for action to be taken prior to Koulibaly’s sending-off and he said next time they will take matters into their own hands and “leave the pitch, even if we have to lose the match.”
This is not the first time Koulibaly has been subjected to racist abuse in Serie A, having been insulted by fans of Lazio and Juventus in the past.