Samp Chairman creates fresh racism storm

(ANSA) - Rome, October 27 - 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.