Portugal leaders call racist chants at soccer player ‘unacceptable,’ urge tough punishment

Portugal’s leaders are condemning racist chants shouted at an FC Porto soccer player who walked off the field Sunday after the people in the stands reportedly made monkey noises after he scored the team’s second goal. 

Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa called the incident “unacceptable” and urged police and soccer authorities to push tough punishment to make the incident an example, according to The Associated Press. 

“Any and all acts of racism are criminal and intolerable,” Costa tweeted, according to a translation of the tweet. “No human being should be subjected to this humiliation. No one can remain indifferent. I condemn any and all acts of racism, under any circumstances.”

He added that he is in “total solidarity” with the player Moussa Marega and called him “a great player” and “great citizen.”

Total solidariedade com #Marega, que no campo provou ser não só um grande jogador, mas também um grande cidadão.#naoaoracismo

— António Costa (@antoniocostapm) February 17, 2020

Portugese President Marcelo Rebel de Sousa also said he “vehemently condemns any display of racism,” according to the AP. 

“Portugal’s Constitution very clearly condemns racism, as well as any other forms of xenophobia and discrimination,” he said. 

Marega said on Instagram that “idiots” came to the stadium to make racist comments. He also called out referees for giving him a yellow card. 

“I hope I never see you on a football field again! You are a shame!” he said, according to a Google translation of Marega’s caption. 

FC Porto, in a statement, and the team’s coach, Sergio Conceicao, stood by Marega. 

Conceicao reportedly said he was “outraged” by the racism and said the monkey chants had began during the pre-game warm-up. 

Racist incidents have been occurring at soccer games across Europe. 

In October, the president of the European soccer federation called on the “football family” across the world the “wage war on the racist” after a match between England and Bulgaria had to be paused twice due to racist chants aimed at black players.