Viareggio Cup, Nigerian team abandons the tournament for racist insults

Yesterday, the Nigerian team of Ladegbuwa left the match field early, in Santa Croce sull’Arno (Pisa), where they were playing against the Serie D representative for the Viareggio cup, when they were losing and playing in 9 for the expulsion of two players in addition to that of the coach, then motivating the decision with a post on social media also for “racist offenses suffered”. He charges today “returned to sender” by the organizers of the youth soccer tournament.

“We at Ladegbuwa – reads the post – are shocked and extremely disappointed by the antics of the organizers and officials of the 73rd Torneo di Viareggio 2023”: “We had to make a very difficult decision to protect our young team from further abuse and so we took our players off the pitch because we had to protect our kids from racist abuse in the stadium as well as the constant harassment of opponents with racist comments and bad tackles that went unpunished by the referee We also saw three ridiculous red cards against us to further help the Italian Representative D to obtain the victory».

«The no to racism is our daily belief – the reply of Alessandro Palagi, president of the CGC Viareggio which organizes the tournament -. It’s not just a facade slogan, our history proves it. We also believe that respect for football institutions is a fundamental prerequisite for the smooth running of football matches and the event. I repeat that in the field certain behaviors are not justifiable in any way. I therefore believe that there should be a profound reflection on the part of those who wanted to “shoot” the demonstration for free”.

«Another Nigerian formation, Mavlon, which takes part in the tournament – adds Palagi -, deservedly reached the round of 16 and a year ago, again a team from Nigeria, Alex Transfiguration, with the strength of football played and with irreproachable behavior on and off the field, he deservedly reached the final, losing to Sassuolo only on penalties. Not only that: two Alex Transfiguration players were awarded as best player of the tournament, Golden Boy trophy, and best defender, Mauro Bellugi trophy».