Verona coach Juric 'dangerous and should be suspended' for denying racism against Balotelli - Thuram

Former Juventus and France star Lilian Thuram says he was highly disappointed with Hellas Verona’s reaction to the racist abuse aimed at Mario Balotelli, calling manager Ivan Juric “a very dangerous person who should be suspended".

Balotelli kicked the ball into the stands over the weekend after being racially abused by Verona fans during Brescia's 2-1 loss against Verona on Sunday.

The forward threatened to leave the game in protest while also taking aim at the racist 'd*ckheads*' in the days since the incident.

However, on the day, Juric denied that any incident had taken place saying that it was "[Balotelli's] problem, not ours".

“We have to tell people that there is history behind racism and it’s not true that it comes from ignorance,” the former Juventus star Thuram told Radio 24.

“History proves that racist people genuinely believe in these ideals, much like with sexism. If someone believes in the inferiority of another race or gender, he is not stupid, he genuinely believes in this.

“It is also very dangerous to think of monkey noises as banter. It is not a normal thing to do. We need everyone to point that out, that this is unacceptable.

“This is why I say the Verona coach is a very dangerous person who should be suspended for what he said.

“He said that he didn’t hear anything wrong, that is the danger. When someone is attacked, others have to come to their aid, not expect the person under attack to defend himself.

“When all the players walk off the pitch together, that is when things will change quickly. Racism is violence.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the club's handling of the incident, Hellas Verona banned ultras leader Luca Castellini until June 2030 after he used a series of racial slurs against Balotelli.

Castellini said that Balotelli could never be "truly Italian" because he is not white while defending the fans in the stadium.

And Thuram says that people need to understand that racial abuse is a real-world problem that is much bigger than football.

“This gentleman says such things because there is history behind it, he believes nationality derives from the colour of your skin,” continued Thuram.

“Racism is in the stadium, but what about society? Many say they are not racist, but do nothing for equality. The world of football must understand this is not a joke, it has real-world consequences.

“I’ve known racism before, during and after my playing career. What white player went to his fans and told them to stop it? Nobody. The only coach that I know who openly said he would walk off is Carlo Ancelotti. It is white players and coaches who must stand up and have the courage to say, enough is enough.”