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Verona, Juric: 'I have never justified racism, I've not said anything dangerous'

Verona, Juric: 'I have never justified racism, I've not said anything dangerous'

  • Apollo Heyes
Former Juventus defender Lilian Thuram attacked Hellas Verona coach Ivan Juric for his defence of the clubs’ fans in the Balotelli incident this weekend, according to a report from Calciomercato.com today.
 
Thuram said to Italian radio station Radio 24, saying: “These words are dangerous, they deserve a disqualification.”
 
The Hellas Verona coach disagreed, saying to Italian media outlet ANSA: “I'm not dangerous nor have I said anything dangerous, as Lilian Thuram seems to have said, without knowing me and without understanding the meaning of my words, with a superficiality, this is so dangerous and disrespectful to my history. I have never justified, nor intended to diminish, any manifestation of racism or discrimination, having also been myself, in the past, the subject of such vulgar and disgusting episodes. I have already clarified in private with Balotelli. On Sunday I said that I had not heard anything, except whistles, simply because I had heard nothing from my station, like other collaborators who were in the stands and in other areas of the camp, with whom I was confronted. If I had said the opposite, that is to say that I had heard, I would have said the opposite. This does not mean that I am racist, or that I justify who is, but that I am honest, even if Sunday would have been more convenient not to be.”
 
The 29-year-old Italian striker was subjected to racist chanting from a section of the Verona fans in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat, threatening to walk off the pitch after 55 minutes due to the abuse. The players convinced him to remain and the referee followed protocol, with the game eventually restarting after a short break.

The start of this season has seen racism in Italian football become a more discussed topic, with incidents seemingly taking place more often than previous years. High profile players such as Romelu Lukaku or Miralem Pjanic have also been victims of such incidents, with some calling for greater action from the League.

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