Football international players' union FIFPro has asked for the rescinding of Sully Muntari's yellow card that the Ghanian received for protesting against racist chants made against him. The Pescara midfielder was given a second yellow card and one match suspension after he walked off the pitch in the middle of the match in protest. FIFPro, the players' union, issued a statement Tuesday saying it urged "Italian authorities to hear Muntari's version of events, investigate why the situation was mismanaged, and take firm action to ensure this never happens again.'' The statement added that "Muntari's yellow card should be rescinded'' and that "players should feel comfortable bringing any issue to the attention of the referee, especially one as significant as allegations of racism in the workplace.'' Muntari later told TV reporters that he even saw a group of children making racist chants. "There was a little kid doing it with his parents standing nearby,” said Muntari, "So I went over to him and told him not to do it. I gave him my shirt, to teach him that you’re not supposed to do things like that. I needed to set an example so he grows up to be nice." Muntari said he suffered abuse throughout his side’s 1-0 defeat at Cagliari but was booked for dissent when he asked referee Daniele Minelli to stop the game in the 90th minute, and left the field in stoppage time. "[The referee] told me I should not talk to the crowd," Muntari is quoted as saying by the Guardian, "I asked him if he had heard the insults. I insisted that he must have the courage to stop the game." "The referee should not just stay on the field and blow the whistle, he must do everything. He should be aware of these things and set an example," said Muntari. The Serie A disciplinary committee later stated agreed while the fans' actions were "deplorable" but said its guidelines meant it could not impose sanctions as only "approximately 10" supporters were involved - fewer than 1% of the Cagliari supporters in the ground.
