Cagliari President Tommaso Giulini condemned racist chants at Juventus striker Moise Kean, but again implied he lacked “respect” with his celebration.
The jeers aimed at 19-year-old Italy international Kean got louder and more obviously racist after he scored at the 85th minute to seal the 2-0 victory, celebrating by standing in front of the ultras, arms outstretched.
Cagliari President Tommaso Giulini condemned racist chants at Juventus striker Moise Kean, but again implied he lacked “respect” with his celebration.
The jeers aimed at 19-year-old Italy international Kean got louder and more obviously racist after he scored at the 85th minute to seal the 2-0 victory, celebrating by standing in front of the ultras, arms outstretched.
Straight after the game, Giulini was involved in a live television row with pundit Lele Adani, accusing those who criticised the Cagliari fans for racist abuse of being “self-righteous.”
Following the firestorm of controversy, Cagliari President Giulini released a statement on the club website this evening.
“This issue merits a profundity of analysis that I realise is complicated to express in a television studio in a few chaotic minutes. Having said that, there are two aspects to take into consideration:
“1 Even just one racist ‘buu’ must be condemned, always. But a condemnation is not enough, because to beat racism you need effort, culture and initiatives. All of this is done by Cagliari, from the School of Tifo to the Future Curva for children, from the Fourth Category of the Football Academy to other numerous initiatives, all of them aimed at creating a different cultural context.
“The realisation of our new stadium is also part of this vision. Racism is to be condemned, but above all to be defeated. And to do that, we must add actions to words.
“2 There is one other aspect that is not remotely tied to the first and which regards a very sensitive issue called Respect.
“We teach the lads of our youth academy that football is joy and fun. At the end of it all, the goal, is a wonderful moment to be shared. We do it every day trying to learn from clubs like Barcelona or Manchester City, who for some time have worked with youth on these aspects.
“Last Friday, after his goal, Fabio Pisacane did not to go ‘challenge’ a group of fans who were already tense because of their situation in the table, but he mimed the gesture of a pregnant belly to share the joy with his teammates.
“Despite all of this, we must all work hard to ensure that starting from the youngest fan we understand that to respect others, their state of mind and their frustration, is a gesture to be lauded. Always.
“I repeat, this is not a cause and effect issue, as nothing in any way can justify a racist ‘buu.’ Racism is to be condemned always, in every infinitesimal form.
“But the antibodies are created above all by teaching the new generations that football is joy and respect for others, which in turn makes us better people.
“In recent years, Cagliari have done important work to create a shared culture and the passing on of positive values, also through concrete actions like the construction of infrastructure to favour them.”