Sports Minister appeals to Italian envoy to address racism
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Isaac Asiamah, has appealed to the Italian government to address unacceptable and primitive incidents of racism targeted at Ghanaian footballers in Italy in order to preserve the cordial relationship between the two countries.
Advertisement
According to Mr Asiamah, all African players reserved the right to ply their trade without being abused by "backward-thinking football club supporters who think God created them superior to others".
The minister made the appeal during an interaction with the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Giovanni Favilli, at the Ministry of Youth and Sports last Wednesday.
The meeting was in response to a protest letter on the racial abuse of Ghana midfielder, Sulley Muntari, by some fans of Italian club Cagliari on April 30 during a Serie A match at the Stadio Sant'Elia.
Muntari stormed off the pitch, leaving his team with 10 men after his initial complaints to referee Daniele Minelli fell on deaf ears. His protest earned him a yellow card, as well as a one-match suspension by Italian football authorities which was subsequently rescinded.
The incident attracted widespread condemnation from many institutions, including FIFA, the United Nations, world players union, FIFPro; and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
"We are no more in the primitive slave trade era," Mr Asiamah said after welcoming HE Favilli and his deputy, Lorenzo Pinelli, to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
He added: "We are in a civilised era and football players, irrespective of their background, deserve the right to do their jobs without fear of abuse from backward-thinking football club supporters who think God created them superior than others.
"We are appealing to the Italian Government to take appropriate action to put a stop to this unacceptable behaviour of some football fans in Italy who potentially can destroy the very cordial relationship between Ghana and Italy".
Mr Asiamah also demanded an unqualified apology from the Cagliari football club officials for the uncouth behaviour of their fans.
The Italian Ambassador in response condemned the actions of the Cagliari fans and praised Muntari for his decision to storm off the pitch.
However, Mr Favilli stated that the isolated incident should not be allowed to ruin the strong bonds that exist between Italy and Ghana in football.
"The Cagliari incident is an isolated event that does not define the relationship between Italy and Ghana and between Italian football and Ghanaian footballers.
"The disrespectful hoots came from a very limited number of spectators and they were heard only because they happened in a stadium where fans were silent because they were on strike,” he said.
"The history of Ghanaian footballers in Italy goes back a long way to 1991 when Ghana's Under-17 national team played there and several players were recruited. Today Italy is the country that has the highest number of Ghanaian footballers outside Ghana with 90 players active in the different leagues and 140 over the years.
He mentioned that players of Ghanaian descent such as Kwadwo Asamoah, Muntari, Stephen Appiah and Mario Balotelli had won the hearts of Italian football fans with their stellar performances.