Liverpool have praised Juventus for their swift response after Reds youngster was targeted during under-16s competition
Juventus have taken disciplinary action after one of their youngsters targeted a Liverpool player with racist abuse during an under-16 tournament.
And the Reds have praised the Serie A side for their response to the incident, which happened last Friday in Salzburg when the two teams met as part of the Next Generation Trophy 2023 in which 12 elite U16 teams were invited to compete.
News first emerged when former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse, whose son was a member of the Reds squad, expressed on Instagram his outrage a Liverpool youngster had been called a racist term by a Juventus opponent.
The young Liverpool player informed the bench of the incident – which took place towards the end of the match – in response to which the Reds’ Academy staff followed protocol by telling their players to leave the field.
Liverpool also told the opposing bench what happened, with Juventus U16s coach Claudio Grauso subsequently receiving an admission of guilt from the player involved before taking him into the Reds’ dressing room to apologise to his opponent.
Juventus then suspended the player for the remainder of the competition, with senior staff members from both the tournament and Juventus Academy telephoning Liverpool Academy director Alex Inglethorpe to offer their apologies.
In the Reds’ next game in the competition against Independiente del Valle of Ecuador, both teams took the knee as a gesture against discrimination, facilitated by tournament organisers.
Juventus have confirmed that there have since taken disciplinary and educational measures against the player in question, while the Liverpool players continue to be offered support by the Reds having now returned home.
It’s also understood Liverpool have fulsome praise for Juventus given the manner in which they have handled a difficult situation.
A Liverpool club spokesman said: “Liverpool Football Club can confirm that a member of our under-16s team was racially abused by an opponent, whilst playing in the Next Generation youth tournament in Austria.
“The individual responsible was identified immediately and removed from the competition as a result of the swift intervention of our own players and staff, tournament organisers and opposition management who have also taken additional disciplinary measures inclusive of education.
“We would like to place on record our appreciation for the prompt actions taken by all involved. This applies most of all to the player subjected to the attack, who showed remarkable maturity in following established protocols, including leaving the pitch, in order to report the matter as soon as it occurred. He is receiving the full support of the club.
“We would also reiterate that our condemnation of all forms of racist abuse remains unequivocal and absolute.”
