Maurizio Sarri condemns racism; says "There is only one race"

Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri condemned the recent racist incidents in football and said that it was inadmissible to speak of race in 2019. This comes after the recent incident where striker Mario Balotelli was a victim of racial abuse in the match between Verona and Brescia. Balotelli had walked off the field after he was targetted by the fans and returned to score a goal for his team. 

READ | Man United Hand Lifetime Ban For Racism Against Alexander-Arnold

"There is only one race: Humanity"

Sarri said that he smiles when people speak about racism in football. "I smile when people speak about racism in football, unfortunately. This is because those who are racists at stadiums are also the same people that are part of this society. One cannot just think that a stadium is a world apart," Sarri said. "It is not acceptable to speak of races in 2019, there is only one race and that is of humanity. Football has the technology to stop these people," he further added. 

The former Chelsea manager is set to lock horns in the UEFA Champions League against Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday. Juventus, the current toppers of Serie A, have had a good run this season and also sit on top of their group in the Champions League with 2 wins and a draw. While speaking of their next match with Moscow, Sarri said that they are a quality team that make great density in defence. "It is not easy. Situations like these can often be solved by a single person and as a team, we have many players with some brilliant qualities. However, I have seen some games played by Lokomotiv and they have played aggressively and proactively," Sarri said. 

READ | Bulgaria To Play Game Behind Closed Doors, Fined After England Racism

Bulgaria fined, asked to display SayNoToRacism banner

Earlier, UEFA ordered Bulgaria to display a banner with the slogan "No To Racism" at their next two home games after Bulgarian fans hurled racial abuses at England players in the Euro 2020 qualifier game. The Bulgarian FA was additionally fined a further 10,000 euros for "causing a disturbance during a national anthem" prior to kick-off of the game in Sofia on October 14, which England won 6-0. The English FA was fined 5,000 euros for the same offence. The match at the Vasil Levski Stadium was halted twice in the first half due to abuse from sections of the home support, including monkey chants and apparent Nazi salutes.

READ | Yaya Toure On Racism: England Players Should Have Walked Off

READ | Football: Georgi Dermendzhiev Appointed As Bulgaria's New Head Coach