Moise Kean Juventus 2018-19Getty Images

Cagliari avoid punishment after racist chants towards Kean

Serie A side Cagliari have avoided punishment for the racist abuse their fans directed towards Juventus striker Moise Kean in April.

The incident occurred when the Bianconeri travelled to the Sardinian club for a league meeting.

Kean was subject to alleged racial taunts from the crowd and further chants were directed in his direction when he celebrated scoring in front of the home fans.

His team-mate, Blause Matuidi, was also the recipient of abuse from supporters and even threatened to walk off the pitch during the game.

Despite this, Serie A has opted not to sanction Cagliari over the incident, suggesting that their low volume had a limited effect on the match itself.

"The chants, even if they were reprehensible, objectively had a limited relevance to the game, even considering the perception,” a statement released by the league on Tuesday said. “The decision is not to apply sanctions to Cagliari.”

The decision made by officials at Serie A will do little to help the long-standing issues facing black players in the Italian top-flight, with high-profile stars such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Mario Balotelli and Kevin-Prince Boateng all suffering racist chanting in recent years.

While Cagliari may have avoided punishment from the match, Kean did not, with the teenager later fined for diving in the game.

The incident with Kean also made headlines for the reaction of his team-mate, Leonardo Bonucci, who claimed the attacker was ’50-50’ to blame.

"Kean knows that when he scores a goal, he has to focus on celebrating with his team-mates," Bonucci toldSky Sport Italia after the match. "He knows he could’ve done something differently too.

"There were racist jeers after the goal, Blaise heard it and was angered. I think the blame is 50-50, because Moise shouldn’t have done that and the Curva should not have reacted that way.

"We are professionals, we have to set the example and not provoke anyone. I prefer to talk about the great performance.”

Although the Italian centre-back later claimed he was ‘too hasty’ in judging the situation, his comments were widely criticised at the time.

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