Michy Batshuayi claims he was the victim of racial abuse during Borussia Dortmund’s Europa League clash against Atalanta on Thursday night.
Dortmund scored a late goal in Italy to claim a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their Round of 32 tie, ensuring a safe passage to the next round by an aggregate scoreline of 4-3.
And while Batshuayi has loved his time with Dortmund since his January loan move from Chelsea, scoring five goals in as many games for the Bundesliga side, Thursday night was not a pleasant experience for the Belgian forward.
Batshuayi took to Twitter after the game at the Stadio Citta del Tricolore to report that he’d been subjected to racial abuse from the home fans.
The 24-year-old said that he’d heard monkey chants from Atalanta supporters, before confirming viewers’ suspicions that they’d heard the same thing.
2018 and still racists monkey noises in the stands … really ?! 🤦🏾♂️ hope you have fun watching the rest of @EuropaLeague on TV while we are through 🙊🙈🙉 #SayNoToRacism #GoWatchBlackPanther ✌🏾
— Michy Batshuayi (@mbatshuayi) February 22, 2018
Yep lol https://t.co/1fEFQCNGUn
— Michy Batshuayi (@mbatshuayi) February 22, 2018
Should Dortmund register an official complaint, Uefa will be expected to investigate the matter, with the European governing body dedicated to their No To Racism campaign.
Batshuayi’s followers threw their backing behind the forward, with one supporter earning a reply of appreciation from the player after suggesting that Batshuayi was the greatest of all time.
???❤️
— Michy Batshuayi (@mbatshuayi) February 22, 2018
As reported by Football Italia after the allegation, Atalanta President Antonio Percassi has apologised to Batshuayi.
He said: “I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear them. If they did happen, then I am very sad and absolutely apologise to Batshuayi. This should never happen.”
