Racism resurfaces in Serie A as Kalidou Koulibaly speaks out

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Kalidou Koulibaly should have celebrated. The brilliant Napolis center-half had just helped his side extend their perfect start to Serie A with a seventh consecutive victory. It had been one of their most impressive, recovering to beat a moving Fiorentina up on the outside after falling behind in the first half.

As he left the pitch, however, Koulibalys’ joy was interrupted by racist slurs in the stands. Several black Napolis players were targeted by monkey noises, an incident captured by broadcaster Dazn’s television cameras. As Victor Osimhen and Andr-Frank Zambo Anguissa opted to continue marching, Koulibaly reacted after hearing an even more explicit line of attack.

Did you call me a monkey? he would have asked, pointing to his attacker. Come down here and tell me, if you’re brave enough.

This is not the first time that Koulibaly has been targeted in an Italian stadium. In 2016, Napolis’ away game at Lazio was temporarily put on hold by referee Massimiliano Irrati after monkey noises were directed at the defender. He wrote about the experience in an article for the Players Tribune, recalling his anger and always juxtaposing it with a better side of human nature, found in a child mascot who had attempted to apologize on behalf of adults.

Inter are said to be forced to play behind closed doors after racist chants against Koulibaly in 2018, and their Neapolitan teammates have also been the target of forms of regional discrimination during matches. Udinese were fined 10,000 after such chants were heard in their game against Napoli last month.

These stories are also not unique to a team. Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan has called for a cultural change after suffering racist abuse while playing for Juventus in September. What are we doing to fight racism in the football stadium? He asked. Do we really believe it is effective? I am in a club that strives to be a leader in the fight against all types of discrimination. But we must be more and all united in this battle against a social problem bigger than football itself.

It has been dismal to see such incidents happen so quickly after the stadiums reopened in Italy. At least on these recent occasions there has been no attempt to sweep events under the rug. Juventus have identified Maignan’s attacker and banned him from the stadium. Fiorentina general manager Joe Barone went to the Napolis locker room on Sunday to apologize to Koulibaly, Osimhen and Anguissa in person.

These responses are not highlighted because they deserve special praise, but simply in contrast to what has happened before. It has only been two years since Leonardo Bonucci responded to a case of racist abuse against Juventus teammate Moise Kean by suggesting that the blame should be shared 50-50 because the striker celebrated in front of supporters of the opposition (Bonucci did it later somewhat back).

Koulibaly posted on Twitter on Monday, translating the words he heard about her into three different languages ​​and calling on people who shouted at them to receive life bans. Osimhen called on his followers to speak to their children and their parents, and to make them understand how disgusting it is to hate an individual because of the color of their skin.

The two players deserved the conversation to be different. We should talk about how everyone excelled at the start of the flying season at Napolis. Koulibaly remains the cornerstone of a defense that has conceded three goals in seven games. Osimhen, with four goals in six appearances, lives up to his club record of 70 million in transfer fees.

It was the Nigerian who brought Napoli back in Sunday’s game after falling behind on a Lucas Martnez Quarta goal. Osimhen’s pace was always going to test Fiorentina’s high defensive line, but it’s his spatial awareness that sets him apart: the way he deploys his lanky limbs like precision tools to protect the ball from opponents. .

Unable to take possession of him properly, Quarta simply crossed the hip of the attackers as they rushed into Fiorentina’s box in the 40th minute. Bartlomiej Dragowski, in goal for Fiorentina, made a sensational double swing to save Lorenzo Insignes’ penalty and then beat the rebound off the head of the same striker, but Hirving Lozano forced the ball home on the third attempt.

Napolis’ winning goal was something different, a repeated free kick that saw the runners move early as Insigne stood over the ball, fooling the defense into thinking he was about to serve a center of the right foot. Instead, the first wave of movement stopped abruptly and Piotr Zielinski attacked the ball from a different angle. His left-footed delivery swung to the back post, where Amir Rrahmani arrived unmarked to return home.

Manager Luciano Spalletti later said the ruse was copied from Borussia Dortmund at the suggestion of Napolis match analyst. It was the seventh goal the Partenopei have scored with a dead ball in this Serie A campaign. The number reflects the work Spalletti has done since taking office this summer.

Anguissa, on loan from relegated Fulham, was the club’s biggest addition, and even the manager admitted not knowing who the player was until he arrived. The midfielder made an impressive start, his ease of possession and willingness to carry the ball forward from deep positions allowing Napoli a wider range of possibilities in transition. Above all, Spalletti’s biggest success so far has been the attention to detail: finding areas like set pieces where his team were not making the most of opportunities.

This team is already full of talent. Osimhen showed flashes of his genius in a first season interrupted by injuries and the Covid. Koulibalys’ form had plunged, but we knew what kind of player he could be. Midfielders Fabin Ruiz and Piotr Zielinski are exceptional passers while Insigne, Lozano, Matteo Politano and Dries Mertens who made his first appearance of the season off the bench on Sunday offer an abundance of options behind the attack.

Spalletti, who brings his own pedigree as former Russian league champions with Zenit and two-time Coppa Italia winners in Rome, danced around whether his team can compete for the Scudetto. It’s easy to see why he wouldn’t want to get ahead of himself. The season is young and major challenges await us, including an African Cup of Nations which risks depriving Napoli of Koulibaly, Osimhen and Anguissa for weeks. Guardian

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