Juventus' Blaise Matuidi Says He Was Subject of Racial Abuse vs. Cagliari

Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi has said he was subject to racist abuse from the stands during his team’s clash with Cagliari on Saturday.

The Frenchman was part of the Juve side that won 1-0 at the Stadio Sant’Elia in Serie A and after the game posted a message on his Facebook page in which he said he "experienced racism" at the venue, per BBC Sport.

The allegations come from Matuidi just two days after Hellas Verona were ordered to close a section of their stadium after portions of the fanbase racially abused the 30-year-old.

As noted by Marcus Christenson of the Guardian, that incident was in relation to a match on December 30 in which Matuidi netted. Verona were fined €20,000 by Serie A for the racist chants.

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Per Ben Gladwell of ESPN FC, the punishment for Cagliari will be announced on Monday by Serie A's disciplinary committee.

Matuidi arrived at Juve in the summer from Paris Saint-Germain after spending six years in the French capital. Since his switch to Serie A, he’s made 16 top-flight appearances, netting two goals.

As relayed by Gladwell, the issue of racism in Italy has reared its head this term already. Lazio had a section of the Stadio Olimpico closed in October after their supporters directed invective at Sassuolo midfielder Claud Adjapong.