France international and Lecce center-back Samuel Umtiti left the pitch in tears after he and his teammate Lameck Banda suffered racist attacks from Lazio fans during a Serie A match.
Lecce played Lazio on Wednesday, January 4, with the match being stopped in the second half due to racist taunts from the visiting supporters.
According to Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani, the referee stopped the game followed by the stadium announcers calling for the abuse to stop.
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It was also revealed that it was Umtiti who asked that the match resume ending with a 2-1 victory for Lecce.
The club's president added that Umtiti wanted the response to happen on the pitch describing him as a true champion.
After the final whistle, the 29-year-old defender received a standing ovation from the Lecce supporters.
Fans of the home team were praised for responding to the abuse by chanting Umtiti’s name.
“The racist insults were drowned out by the cheers of encouragement for our champion!” the club stated on Twitter.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also gave his comment on the issue showing his support for Umtiti and Banda.
“Let’s shout it loud and clear: NO TO RACISM! May the huge majority of fans, who are good people, stand up to shut up all the racists once and for all!” Infantino wrote in an Instagram post.