Ex-Napoli star Maradona shows support for Koulibaly

Diego Maradona has shown support for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly on social media while revealing he was also subjected to racist chants during his time in Italy.

Racist abuse was directed at Koulibaly during Inter’s 1-0 win over Napoli at San Siro on Wednesday, with the Nerazzurri receiving a two-game stadium ban following the taunts.

A number of high-profile players, including Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter captain Mauro Icardi, have posted messages of support for Koulibaly while also condemning racism.

Maradona, who played in Naples between 1984 and 1991, has followed suit on his Instagram account, where he uploaded a photo of himself holding Koulibaly’s jersey.

“I played for seven years in Napoli, and I also suffered the racist songs of some fans,” Maradona said.

 

 

 

 

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Ho giocato sette anni con il Napoli e anch’io ho subito cori razzisti da alcune tifoserie. Ricordo ancora gli striscioni che recitavano “Benvenuti in Italia”. Mi sento ancora più napoletano e oggi voglio essere vicino a @kkoulibaly26. Spero che questo episodio segni un punto di svolta, per eliminare una volta per tutte il razzismo dal calcio. Un saluto a tutti! #NoalRazzismo – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Yo jugué siete años en el Napoli, y también sufrí los cantos racistas de algunas hinchadas. Todavía me acuerdo de las banderas que decían “Bienvenidos a Italia”. Yo me siento un napolitano más, y hoy quiero estar al lado de Kalidou Koulibaly. Espero que todo esto marque un antes y un después, para terminar de una vez con el racismo en el fútbol. Un saludo a todos! #NoalRacismo – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – I played for seven years in Napoli, and I also suffered the racist songs of some fans. I still remember the flags that said “Welcome to Italy”. I feel Neapolitan and today I want to be with Kalidou Koulibaly. I hope that all this helps to ends racism in football once and for all. Greetings to all! #NoRacism

A post shared by Diego Maradona Oficial (@maradona) on Dec 30, 2018 at 5:22am PST

“I still remember the flags that said, ‘Welcome to Italy’. I feel Neapolitan and today I want to be with Kalidou Koulibaly.

“I hope that all this helps to end racism in football once and for all. Greetings to all! #NoRacism.”