Pogba blasts Lazio fans racist chanting

19 August 2013 16:47

France midfielder Paul Pogba hit out at Lazio fans for their racist chanting during the Italian Supercup, which his club Juventus won 4-0 at Rome's Stadio Olimpico.

Pogba was on the scoresheet on Sunday as the Serie A champions beat the Italian Cup winners in the season's traditional curtain-raiser.

But Pogba was amongst a number of players, including Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah and Italy defender Angelo Ogbonna, who is of Nigerian descent, to suffer racist abuse from a section of Lazio's hardcore fans known for their fascist leanings.

"We heard it, they're ignorant," Pogba told AFP.

"What can I do? I'm alone against 30,000 fans. They do that even though there are blacks in their team.

"It's also a lack of respect towards their own players.

"It's really not nice to come to a football match and hear those sort of things, but I'm a player, I concentrate on my job."

Lazio themselves lined up with Angolan-born Belgian Luis Pedro Cavanda in their side while Nigerian midfielder Ogenyi Onazi came on as a substitute.

It was not the only incidence of football terrace-related racism of the weekend as German under-21 international Danny da Costa was subjected to racist taunts from an 1860 Munich supporter during his team Ingolstadt's second-tier match.

The supporter was arrested at the stadium and hit with a ban.

Source: AFP