Former Ghana international Sulley Muntari has expressed hope that racism in football will eventually be eradicated.
The ex-midfielder, who endured racist abuse during his time in the Italian Serie A with Pescara, recalled one of his most painful experiences—a match against Cagliari where he walked off the pitch after receiving a yellow card for protesting against racist chants from the crowd.
Reflecting on the incident in an interview with Flashscore, the former Inter Milan and AC Milan midfielder, 40, stated, “They can’t deal with racism in Italy. It’s going to be like this for a long time unless they act in a very strict way. In England, you can be suspended or jailed for racism, but even with that, it is still there. It’s human nature, it is things that they feel about us.”
Sharing his perspective on dealing with racism, Muntari advised players to remain focused despite the abuse.
“As a player, I think you don’t have to pay attention to it. If you’re playing football, you go on to do just that. If you’re working, you go on to do just that. Wherever you are, just focus on what you do and don’t let someone get to you. Sometimes they bring their frustration to you.”
Looking back, he admitted he might have handled things differently.
“If I knew at that time, I would have handled things differently. I was young, so I would fight back. That being said, I’m hoping one day racism will stop,” he added.
Muntari’s appearance in that match against Cagliari took his Serie A tally to 270 games, making him the African player with the most appearances in the league at the time. His record was later surpassed by fellow Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah in 2021.
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