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AC Milan midfielder Kevin Constant walked off the pitch in a pre-season match against Sassuolo in Reggio Emilia on Tuesday night after being racially abused by the crowd.
The Guinea international who was preparing to take a throw-in became furious at the regrettable behaviour of the crowd and left the field. However, the game continued as Milan substituted Constant before going on to lose 1-2. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has launched a probe into the issue.
A statement published on ACMilan.com read: “On the evening of July 23, 2013 there was another episode involving racist intolerance and this time the victim was Kevin Constant, who reacted by leaving the field of play.
“This was not a decision he should have taken upon himself to make and despite his more than understandable reasons and the anger he must have felt, AC Milan would like to remind everyone that the only people responsible for intervening against any manifestations that offend human dignity, which includes racial discrimination, are the referee in charge of the match and the head of public safety.
“The use of the legal system and institutional rights, which every member of the public requires to exist in a civil society, does not compensate for the fact that these episodes continue to happen at a frequent rate.
“Racism has no alibis, not if those of a distorted mind believe that men should be divided because of the colour of their skin or because of their nationality, or if their manifestations – gestures, words or sounds – are the result of a foul and nasty recurring essence born of a miserable mind that is incapable of formulating an opinion because such opinions are too horrible.
“Both categories deserve zero tolerance, and they should no longer have it as of today. It is not so much about defending a footballer or a sport but about defending the entire civil world, to which these people have never belonged.”
Source: The Guardian
