The Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, has supported the decision to force Inter to play two Serie A matches behind closed doors after Kalidou Koulibaly was allegedly racially abused by supporters.
The Napoli defender was reportedly the subject of racist chants during his team’s Boxing Day match at the San Siro, where he was sent off late in a 1-0 defeat.
Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed after the match that they asked on three occasions for the match to be suspended because of the abuse Koulibaly was receiving.
Lega Serie A announced on Thursday that Inter’s next two home games will be played behind closed doors, while the Curva Nord – a section reserved for the club’s ‘Ultras’ – will also be closed for a third fixture.
The decision to punish Inter has been supported by the Mayor of the city, who also said the league did the correct thing by deciding not to suspend the entire league.
“We’ll call a meeting with Inter and AC Milan to avoid repeating these problems,” Sala said.
“I’d tend to agree [with the stadium closure], I understand they need to send a signal, but I don’t know how to measure these things. I think a signal is the right thing though.
“Should the league be suspended? I don’t think so, because objectively, in the face of such attitudes, there are also a lot of people going to the stadium with a positive attitude.
“So I don’t think we need to suspend the league. It’s not just a problem in Milan, everyone should take their own responsibility and mine is to talk with the clubs.”
