United States men’s national team midfielder Weston McKennie was subjected to racist abuse after Juventus secured a 2-0 season-opening victory over Parma in Serie A, the Italian club announced on Sunday.
Juventus issued a statement on social media stating that McKennie was the target of “discriminatory racist remarks by some individuals in the away section” while he was warming down with teammates on the pitch.
“Juventus strongly condemns this incident and any form of racism, and will ensure full cooperation with the sporting justice authorities to identify those responsible,” the statement read.
McKennie, who joined Juventus in 2020, came on as a late substitute in the match in Turin, where Canadian forward Jonathan David scored in his Serie A debut for the club.
In 2023, Fiorentina faced a suspended partial stadium ban after fans directed racist and discriminatory chants at McKennie and other Juventus players.
Sunday’s incident is the latest in a series of racism allegations in European football. FIFA president Gianni Infantino last week described two incidents of alleged racist abuse that marred German Cup matches as “unacceptable.”
