Blaise Matuidi has called on the authorities to fight racism and hand out severe punishments for those caught racially abusing players.
The Juventus midfielder was subjected to monkey chants by Cagliari supporters alongside teammate Moise Kean.
Danny Rose recently revealed he cannot wait to retire after suffering racist abuse during England’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro, while Raheem Sterling has actively campaigned to help eradicate it from the sport.
Matuidi has urged the sport to not “ignore” the abuse and punish those responsible.
“It’s sad, because it happened to me in that very same stadium last year. We just can’t tolerate those kinds of things,” Matuidi told Canal+.
“There were monkey shouts when I touched the ball. When Kean found himself in front of the goal twice – and it’s important to note that – it happened again.
“I don’t want to calm down, I don’t want to just ignore that. We have to fight it, not ignore it. We should not be afraid and act as if we didn’t hear anything.
“It’s important to say it loud and clear. Those monkey shouts should not be said and could not be said and that must be punished.
“I’m a father, I have kids. I don’t want to show this world to my kids.”
