Bananas ‘thrown’ at Guinean defender, Atalanta stun Milan
Torino held 1-1 by Parma
MILAN, May 11, (Agencies): Fans hurled bananas at AC Milan’s Guinean defender Kevin Constant on Sunday as his side’s Europa League bid suffered a huge knock in a 2-1 defeat to Atalanta.
The racist insult was the latest to hit a top European football league after a banana was thrown at Barcelona’s Brazilian defender Dani Alves on April 27.
European football’s governing body UEFA this week blasted racist attacks in Spain and called for action after fans subjected foreign players to monkey taunts and banana-throwing.
Alves calmly picked up the banana hurled at him by a Villarreal fan and bit a chunk out of it. But there was many protests by black players after the game.
Sunday’s flashpoint came midway through the second half during a stoppage of play deep in Atalanta’s half.
Constant picked up a banana that had been thrown in his direction to give to the referee, and as he did so another landed near Dutch teammate Nigel De Jong, who is of Surinamese-Indonesian descent.
De Jong and Milan’s French defender Phillipe Mexes reacted with sarcastic applause.
Coach Clarence Seedorf called for the banana-throwers to banned for life, but applauded his players’ reaction.
“I don’t there’s too much I can say,” Seedorf told Sky Sport.
“It’s an unfortunate incident that, thanks to the lads’ professionalism, did not affect them for the rest of the game.
“I hope that whoever was responsible will be banned from attending matches for life.”
Milan’s defeat, however, may have confirmed Seedorf’s anticipated departure from the club at the end of the season amid reports he has failed to win over owner and president Silvio Berlusconi despite dragging the Rossoneri away from the league doldrums.
Milan travelled to Bergamo looking to build on the 1-0 derby win over Inter last week that put them firmly in contention for a place in the Europa League.
The visitors looked to be heading for a share of the spoils after home striker German Denis levelled for the hosts from the spot barely a quarter hour after Gianpaolo Bellini had put the ball past his own ‘keeper Andrea Consigli to give Milan a 1-0 lead.
However Milan were stunned in the sixth minute of added-on time when substitute Franco Brienza sent an unstoppable shot past Christian Abbiati in the visitors’ net.
Milan dropped one place to ninth behind fellow Europa League chasers Verona, held 2-2 by Udinese on Saturday.
This season, the sixth-placed finisher in Serie A will also qualify for Europa via the Italian Cup, won by Napoli over Fiorentina last week.
Inter qualified for Europe’s second tier competition with a 4-1 win at home to Lazio on Saturday and Fiorentina, currently fourth, have already secured their spot.
Meanwhile, Torino was held 1-1 by Parma in Serie A on Sunday and Europa League qualification will now be decided on the final day of the season.
Torino remained sixth, a point above Parma and two above Hellas Verona and AC Milan, which lost 2-1 at Atalanta in a match blighted by racism.
Ciro Immobile scored the 22nd goal of the season to leave him on the verge of securing the Capocanniere award for top scorer. The Torino forward was also sent off, 10 minutes after Alessandro Lucarelli had been dismissed for Parma.
Newly crowned champion Juventus visits second-placed Roma later.
Torino appeared to be on course to securing Europa League qualification after Immobile took advantage of a poor Gabriel Paletta back pass to fire into an empty net at the end of the first half.
Immobile has two more goals than Hellas Verona striker Luca Toni and three more than Juventus forward Carlos Tevez.
Parma captain Lucarelli was sent off for an elbow on Immobile shortly after the hour mark but the visitors levelled in the 71st minute when Afriyie Acquah was brought down by Kamil Glik.
Antonio Cassano saw his penalty saved by Daniele Padelli but Torino was slow to react and Jonathan Biabiany netted the rebound.
Immobile, who was booked earlier for his reaction to Lucarelli, was sent off two minutes later following a second booking for diving.