Antonio Conte has said that the person who threw a banana at Tottenham forward Richarlison while he was on Brazil duty should be banned from football for life.
The new £60 million signing had just scored during Brazil's 5-1 friendly win over Tunisia in Paris when the incident occurred, with the player having run towards the corner flag to celebrate his seventh goal in six games for his country in 2022.
At the time, the Spurs forward has admitted that he didn't know how to react to the incident, with such abuse being directed consistently towards Brazilian players in recent weeks. This is following criticism in Spain of Vinicius Jr's dancing goal celebrations for Real Madrid, with Brazilian players showing solidarity towards their teammate.
READ MORE: Unexpected Mali decision is mixed blessing for Yves Bissouma and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte
Spurs boss Conte will be hoping to protect his player, who has made a good start to life in north London following his move from Everton and spoke words to such effect during his press conference ahead of the North London Derby.
The Italian boss chose to praise Richarlison while also suggesting what punishment should be given to whoever perpetrated the incident which took place at Paris's Parc des Princes.
Conte told journalists during his press conference on Tuesday that he wanted people to remember the positives for the in-form forward rather than the negatives, saying: "I think we have to take the good part of the situation. Richy played with the national team, scored goals and then what happened is incredible because in 2022 to witness this type of situation is embarrassing for everybody.
"For sure I hope these people are banned from football for the rest of their lives. Then it's a very disappointing situation to have to make a comment on this. I want to take the best part of the game from Richy. He scored goals and he enjoyed playing with Brazil."
READ NEXT:
Tottenham's best ever Premier League transfer revealed
Tottenham face nightmare scenario that could force Antonio Conte into tactical change vs Arsenal
Arsenal vs Tottenham prediction made amid 'surprise' form claim ahead of North London derby
The five key Tottenham decisions Antonio Conte must make for North London Derby vs Arsenal
Richarlison delivers Arsenal rallying cry with Spurs social media message after racism incident