May 2 – The United Nations’ top human rights official has hailed Pescara’s Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari as an “inspiration” for walking off the pitch in protest after complaining about racist chanting.
Muntari took his action at the weekend late in the game against Calgliari and now UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein says FIFA needs to pay greater attention to the persistent problem of racism – and that his office had been in touch with football’s world governing body.
Muntari complained that parts of the crowd, including a group of children, had hurled racist insults at him from the start and Zeid called his decision “an inspiration to all of us here at the U.N. human rights office” for taking a stand.
The persistent problem of racism at games required “added attention or deepened attention by FIFA,” he told reporters in Geneva.
His office had been in touch with the organisation, he said without saying when, and he planned to attend an international match in about six weeks’ time to spread the message that “racism and expressions of bigotry should not be tolerated at major sporting events”.
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