Sterling calls Kean criticism ‘laughable’ after Juventus striker racially abused by supporters

Raheem Sterling branded criticism of Moise Kean “laughable” after the teenage Juventus striker was racially abused by fans.

After scoring Juve’s second goal in the 2-0 win at Cagliari, Kean stood next to the post and spread his arms in defiant response to monkey chants coming from the stands.

Juve defender Leonardo Bonucci later claimed his team-mate should take “50-50” of the blame for the abuse. “The blame is 50-50 because Moise shouldn’t have done that and the Curva [Cagliari’s “ultra” fans] should not have reacted that way. We are professionals. We have to set the example and not provoke anyone.”

Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri was also critical of the 19-year-old’s celebration, believing, like Bonucci, that he should not have responded to the abuse.

Manchester City forward Sterling took to Instagram to counter those arguments. “The blame is 50-50 @bonuccileo19,” he posted . “All you can do now is laugh.”

Kean posted a message on Instagram with a photo of his celebration and a caption which read: “The best way to respond to racism #notoracism.” The incident came in the middle of Uefa’s two-day “equal game” conference at Wembley to tackle discrimination in the game, and panellist Yaya Toure, the former Manchester City midfielder, called on the Italian football authorities to act.

He said: “I was shocked when I saw that happen and then the manager saying Kean shouldn’t have done that. I want to see what the Italian FA is going to do about it”

Cristina Blasetti, from the Italian Football Federation, in the conference audience at Wembley, stood up and apologised. She said: “We are very sorry for what happened. We are doing our best to tackle this issue.”