The Italian soccer federation has rescinded Sulley Muntari’s one-match ban for walking off the field in response to racist abuse during a Serie A game last weekend.
The Pescara player received a yellow card at Cagliari for protesting about the abuse and was booked again for leaving the field without following procedures. The Ghanaian’s two yellow cards amounted to a red and a one-game ban by the league’s disciplinary commission.
That suspension was lifted on Friday by the appeal court of the Italian football federation (FIGC) following global protests. The matter had even reached the United Nations, with its top human rights official hailing Muntari as an "inspiration."
"I’m satisfied with the outcome," FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio told national news agency ANSA. "Also because roles and procedures which are guaranteed by our system were respected."
Soccer’s global players’ union has been lobbying Italian authorities and said "common sense has prevailed."
"The right result has happened and justice has been served," Bobby Barnes, FIFPro’s leader in Europe, told The Associated Press. "All of us felt the decision was wrong because there is a clear protocol in place and the player had followed that protocol.
"To be penalized for leaving the field because the protocol hadn’t been carried out was an insult to injury. When you’ve got the victim of a situation being the one that ends penalized, I think it is only right you look at that again. We’ve got to the right place, albeit belatedly."
Muntari is now available for Pescara’s home match against Crotone on Sunday.
Muntari told referee Daniele Minelli and his assistants several times about the chants from home fans in the final minute of Pescara’s 1-0 defeat. The official then showed the former Ghana midfielder a yellow card.
The 32-year-old Muntari was so angry with the booking that he walked off the pitch, leaving his side with 10 men for stoppage time.
Cagliari escaped punishment because Serie A’s disciplinary body said only 10 fans were to blame.
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