Thuram: 'I would close all Serie A stadiums for a weekend because of racism'
"When I played in Italy, episodes like this had already happened and after 12 years, unfortunately, I notice that the situation did not change. This means that has not been done enough and that the fight against racism is not a priority for you. Neither for the political class nor for the managers of the societies that focused on anything else and not on this unacceptable plague," he said.
VICTIMS OF EPISODES OF RACISM - "It is something that is impossible to forget, I assure you. I do not forget, but even those who see the scene at the stadium or in front of the TV should not forget it. Instead, I get the impression that people get nervous when these things happen, but then they forget it quickly, bringing their attention to other things".
PLAYERS - "What happened to Koulibaly, Muntari, Boateng, Eto'o, Zoro, Omolade? One episode for me is already too much. If these episodes increase and above all are repeated years later, it means that the Italian clubs and fans do not consider them very serious. If they thought they were very serious, they would do anything to stop them from happening again. Instead, there are many people who do not care about the bad guys and other equally unpleasant howls in the stadiums".
TWO MATCHES WITHOUT SPECTATORS - "Maybe I say these words because I am a black person or dark brown, if you prefer, but I got tired of these debates. In the presence of such episodes, I would close all the stadiums of Serie A for a weekend. Not just the one of Inter. If Italian sportsmen were forced to stay a Saturday and Sunday without games, they would be obliged to reflect, to understand how unjust is that a person is attacked on the field for the colour of his skin. If there was a white player in a league with all teams composed of black people it would not happen. I am convinced of it because black footballers would react against the fans, they would shut them up and get angry with them. They would do it not because they are better, but because when you are black you learn quickly what it means to be attacked or discriminated. If you see that another person is a victim of the same thing, you rebel, you automatically defend him".
KOULIBALY - "The message is not for Koulibaly, but for the people who read this interview and for those who go to the stadium to howl against black footballers. Ask yourself why you accept these things. If the situation does not change, it's because so many of you do not want it to happen, because you freak out. Maybe you think you're better than blacks, but it's not like that."
WHAT DOES NOT WORK - "The reality is this: not only in Italy but also in other European countries there are many people who think that whites are superior to blacks. Those who howl "buu" feel superior and this is the result of wrong education. In a civil society, skin colour, religion and sexuality are not important. Who distinguishes "us" from "others" and thinks that 'we are better than others' is a racist".
IN ITALY - "Here more than anywhere else? It is wrong to do rankings because every country has its problems. Each political class should take a picture of their own nation and intervene. It seems impossible to me that at the beginning of 2019 so many people think that the “buu” is something of little importance, that this thing is accepted in a football stadium. After what happened to Koulibaly, how many people said we must find a solution, even at the cost of stopping the championship? Nobody. Really incredible. Maybe now many people are agitated, but in 15 days they will think to something else and they will have already forgotten the “buu” against Koulibaly and the other black players before him".
SOLUTION - "If there are no certain penalties, this problem will never be solved. Without exemplary punishment, there is nothing to do".