UEFA, FIFPro fault handling of racism abuse on Koulibaly

UEFA and FIFPro have condemned the “unacceptable” racist chants directed at Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly at Inter on Wednesday and criticised a failure to follow the recognised protocol for dealing with such incidents.

The three-step process dictates that, in the first instance, the referee should stop the game and request that an announcement be made over the public address system.

The second step requires the players to return to the changing rooms while the issue is addressed and the final step, if required, is to abandon the match.

Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti claims he asked officials on three occasions to suspend Wednesday’s clash at San Siro but no such action was taken.

Koulibaly was sent off 10 minutes from the end of the match after he sarcastically applauded a booking, before Lautaro Martinez netted a stoppage-time winner for Inter.

Inter have been ordered to play two home matches behind closed doors and will be subject to a partial closure for a third match.

“FIFPro and UEFA jointly condemn the racist abuse aimed towards Napoli player Kalidou Koulibaly last Wednesday during a league match at FC Internazionale in Milan,” read a statement.