Pogba, Lukaku, Balotelli and the shocking list of racist incidents during the 2019/20 football season so far

A look back on the ugly incidents that have marred the campaign

February 16, 2020 - Porto striker Moussa Marega called Vitoria Guimaraes supporters who subjected him to racist abuse during Sunday's Primeira Liga match "idiots" and branded the match referee "a disgrace" for showing him a yellow card for his goal celebration. AFP

January 25, 2020 - Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams revealed he was the victim of racist abuse during his team's 1-1 draw at Espanyol in La Liga. EPA

December 29, 2019 - Scottish football club Glasgow Rangers alleged striker Alfredo Morelos was racially abused during the 'Old Firm' derby against rivals Celtic. Colombian striker Morelos was sent off in stoppage time after receiving a second booking and appeared to make a gesture with his hand across his neck to Celtic fans following his dismissal. Getty Images

December 22 - Chelsea fan arrested for allegedly racially abusing Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min during the Blues' 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Getty

December 21, 2019 - The Professional Footballers' Association called for UK government action after the Premier League game between Tottenham and Chelsea resulted in three stadium announcements reporting racist abuse, with Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger reportedly the subject of monkey chanting from home fans. Reuters

An anti-racism campaign artwork by Italian artist Simone Fugazzotto is presented by Serie A during a news conference in Milan. The artwork prompted furious backlash, with Serie A clubs including Roma and AC Milan releasing statements on social media "strongly disagreeing" with the message. Reuters

December 7, 2019 – A 41-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of “a racially aggravated public order” offence during the Manchester derby. Reuters

December 5, 2019 - Italian daily newspaper Corriere Dello Sport accused of fuelling racism with its front page headline of ‘Black Friday’ alongside pictures of Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku and Roma’s on-loan defender Chris Smalling. AFP

November 16, 2019 – Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 20, was subjected to racist abuse by Romania fans during a Euro 2020 qualifier in Bucharest. AFP

November 3, 2019 - Brescia's Italian striker Mario Balotelli kicks the ball into the stands in protest at abuse suffered during a game with Verona. Balotelli publically condemned the abuse, shaming the racist taunts and the example they set in front of other supporters. EPA

October 29, 2019 - Bulgaria are ordered to play two matches behind closed doors, one suspended for two years, and fined £65,000 for the abuse of England’s players during a Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia on October 14. AFP

October 21, 2019 – Manchester United confirm a fan was ejected from Old Trafford for alleged racist abuse during a Premier League game with Liverpool. Reuters

October 14, 2019 - Raheem Sterling, Kieran Trippier and Jordan Henderson speak with Bulgaria manager Krasimir Balakov, second left, during the Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia. The match had to be stopped twice due to racist abuse from home supporters. Getty

October 7, 2019 - Aston Villa condemn social media footage of fans chanting a racist song which references their own players. AFP

September 2, 2019 – Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku is racially abused at Cagliari during a Serie A match, though the club denied his accusation. Reuters

August 19, 2019 - Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba suffers racist abuse after he misses a penalty against Wolves. Teammate Marcus Rashford says “if you attack him, you attack us all” but is later abused himself. AFP

August 18, 2019 – Reading’s Yakou Meite is abused for missing a penalty in a 3-0 win over Cardiff City during a match in England's second-tier Championship. Reuters

August 14, 2019 – Chelsea’s young striker Tammy Abraham is targeted online after missing a penalty in the Uefa Super Cup shoot-out defeat to Liverpool. Reuters

Porto forward Moussa Marega has become the latest in a very long and worrying line of footballers targeted for racist abuse.

The Mali international, 28, was subjected to vile chants from Vitoria Guimaraes supporters throughout Sunday's Primeira Liga clash at the Estadio D Afonso Henriques.

He was substituted by his manager, Sergio Conceicao, several minutes after scoring what proved to be the winning goal in a 2-1 victory, but not before he took a stand and made a point of celebrating in front of Vitoria supporters by pointing to the colour of his skin. He tried to leave the pitch, pointing his thumbs down to the crowd as well as making obscene gestures, but was restrained by teammates for several minutes.

Inexplicably, the reaction earned him a yellow card from referee Luis Godinho, who at no point had followed any protocols to either halt the match or ask the stadium announcer to warn the home supporters about their conduct. No wonder Marega branded Godinho "a disgrace" and that he hoped he would never have to share the same pitch again.

The league's organising body, Liga Portugal, condemned the chants but are yet to say whether any investigation will take place. More likely Marega will be charged with bringing the game into disrepute for calling those fans who abused him "idiots" on social media.

Sadly, this is by no means the only incident of a player or players being abused. While cases of household names such as Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Mario Balotelli are well documented, and rightly condemned, coverage of players and supporters suffering racial abuse further down the food chain receive less coverage. Punishments for those found guilty of racial abuse vary from life-time bans to national teams being ordered to play games behind closed doors.

Above is a photo gallery of just some of the incidents that have marred the 2019/20 season so far.

To move on to the next image, click on the arrows or thumbnails, or if using a mobile device simply swipe.