Paddy Agnew reports
Sometimes, even in the cynical, fiercely
competitive world of professional football,
there is a poetic justice out there. Or so it
seemed when Moise Kean, the current
overnight sensation in Italian football,
scored the winning goal for Juventus
in their 2-1 victory at home to Milan.
In just one month, the 19-year-old’s
status has gone from that of a relatively
unknown Juve reserve to one of the
brightest prospects in Serie A.
Kept on the bench until the beginning
of April, Kean – Italians pronounce it
“Ken” – got his big break on the eve
of the Champions League round-of-16
return game with Atletico Madrid.
Two-nil down from the first leg in
Spain, Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri
unsurprisingly opted to rest many of his
normal starting XI in a domestic league
game with Udinese three days earlier. In
their absence, Kean made the most of
his chance and scored twice in a 4-1 win.
And when superstar team-mate
Cristiano Ronaldo was then injured
playing for Portugal in a Euro 2020
qualifier against Serbia, further chances
followed – and the teenager not only
managed five goals in five Serie A games,
he also scored two in two Euro qualifiers
in only his second and third appearancesfor Italy’s senior national side.
But just as it looked as though
everything was going his way, the
youngster – who was born in Italy to
a couple from Ivory Coast – was the
subject of racist abuse from Cagliari
supporters after he claimed the second
goal in his side’s 2-0 victory at the
Sardegna Arena on the island of Sardinia.
Having been subjected to monkeychants and other vitriol from a
minority of home fans, Kean celebrated
his 85th-minute strike under the noses
of the Cagliari ultras, stepping behind the
goal and standing in front of them with
his arms stretched out.
It could be argued that any Juventus
player who chooses to celebrate his goal
in front of rival fans anywhere in Italy is
destined for a
hostile reception,
but the Cagliari
fans outpouring
of racial abuse
was disgusting.
Juve’s black
French midfielder
Blaise Matuidi had
complained to
the referee, Piero
Giacomelli, about
racist chanting
during the game to
no avail. But what
had started out as,sadly, yet another episode of ugly Italian
fan racism went nuclear when veteran
Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci
suggested in a post-match interview that
responsibility for the incident was to be
shared “50-50” between the Cagliari
fans and the provocatory Kean.
On the pitch, as the incident unfolded,eye
witness
ITALYPoetic justice for
teenager Kean
Juventus star caught up in racism row
“Bonucci is saying
something that many
people think: namely,
that blacks deserve
whatever happens
to them”
Former France and Juventus
defender Lilian ThuramResponse...Moise
Kean celebrates his
goal (above) before
Leonardo Bonucci
steps in (right)Ultras...Cagliari supporters at the home game against Juventus in April