Racism: Ghanaian Player Suffers Racist Abuse in Portugal

Ghanaian footballer Emmanuel Boateng of Rio Ave complained to the referee about racist abuse from the Vitoria Guimaraes crowd. The match was temporarily halted, but the game resumed and the footballer decided to continue.

In the 65th minute, Rio Ave striker Emmanuel Boateng went over to referee Andre Narciso to complain about the crowd.  Narciso immediately stopped the match and went to talk to someone representing the league. Shortly afterwards, a message was played over the PA announcer calling for an end to the chanting. 

In the meantime, Boateng was consoled by his teammates and even by opposing players. The player decided to continue the game and it was resumed in the 68th minute. The match, which had few chances, ended in a goalless draw.

It is not the first time Vitoria Guimaraes have been involved in a racist incident. In 2020, Guimaraes supporters made monkey chants at Porto footballer Moussa Marega. The footballer, who now plays for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and used to play for Guimaraes, refused to carry on. The game was halted for five minutes before the player was substituted.