Sulley Muntari’s double booking during a racist incident on Sunday has been upheld by Italian football authorities, effectively mandating a one-match suspension.
While in Serie A away action against Cagliari, the Pescara midfielder was shown a yellow card by referee Daniele Minelli for dissent after complaining of racist chants directed at him by the home fans.
The 32-year-old then walked off the pitch in protest and anger, leaving his side to complete the game with 10 men, and apparently incurring another card.
Pescara appealed the referee’s decision, but the Disciplinary Commission will have none of it.
According to the commission, the official match report has it that the racist chants came from approximately 10 people, which was less than one per cent of about 2000 people who occupied the area of the Sant’Elia Stadium where the noises emanated from.
The report also says the chants were only audible because the rest of the supporters were staging a ‘silent protest’, thus, allowing the ‘weak’ racist chants to be heard.
Cagliari, however, were not punished in any way.
Muntari will, thus, sit out Saturday’s clash with Napoli.
The former AC Milan man joined Pescara in January, and has so far made nine league appearances involving seven starts.
