Soccer star does dance in response to monkey taunts
theGRIO REPORT - Levante midfielder Papakouli Diop responded to racist chants from opposing Atletico fans by dancing.
Levante midfielder Papakouli Diop responded to racist chants from opposing Atletico fans by dancing.
The incident occurred towards the conclusion of Levante’s stunning 2-0 victory over Atletico.
After being taunted with monkey chants, the Senegalese player decided to dance.
“They called me monkey, and I turned and imitated a monkey,” Diop said during a post-game press conference, reports Marca. “I’m tired of racism in football. And there’s a lot.”
Diop told AS that “the incident affected me a lot. I went to take a corner, and part of the Atletico fans began to make ‘monkey noises.’Â To take the sting out of it, I began to dance, but I did not insult anyone.”
Diop’s response comes just one week after Barcelona’s Dani Alves picked up and ate a banana that landed at his feet during a corner kick.
“We have suffered this in Spain for some time,” Alves said. “You have to take it with a dose of humor. We aren’t going to change things easily.”
FIFA President Sepp Blatter took to his Twitter account last week to condemn the racist behavior.
What @DaniAlvesD2 tolerated last night is an outrage. We must fight all forms of discrimination united. Will be zero tolerance at #WorldCup.
— Joseph S Blatter (@SeppBlatter) April 28, 2014
Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.Â
