Sampdoria President Massimo
Ferrero has apologised after creating a fresh racism storm in
Italian soccer by calling Inter Milan's Indonesian Chairman
Erick Thohir "that Filipino".
Ferrero made the offending remark on Sunday when
commenting on tensions at Inter in the run-up to last week's
announcement by Thohir's predecessor, Massimo Moratti, to step
down as the club's honorary chairman.
The move came after reported complaints by Thohir, who
bought a controlling 70% stake in Inter from Moratti last year,
about the club's finances.
"Moratti is a great man and it's unfair that he has been
treated like this. He has given so much to Italian soccer,"
Ferrero told State broadcaster RAI.
"I told him to boot that Filipino out".
Ferrero then told a RAI presenter not to defend Thohir
after it was pointed out that Thohir was Indonesian.
The comments quickly whipped up a furore and Ferrero said
sorry via a statement on the Genoa club's website.
"I did not want to be disrespectful of Thohir, of Inter's
directors or of the people of the Philippines, with whom I have
a wonderful relationship," he said.
The row is another black mark for the game here after
Carlo Tavecchio's infamous comments about "banana-eating"
foreign players before his election as head of the Italian
Soccer Federation (FIGC) in August.
Tavecchio is currently serving a six-month ban from UEFA
commissions imposed by European soccer's governing body for the
comments, made as he was calling for tighter restrictions on
non-EU players in Italian soccer.
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