USMNT Star Weston McKennie Allegedly Subjected To Racial Abuse In Italy
American midfielder faced racially-charged verbal assaults after Juventus’ win over Parma.
U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) star Weston McKennie, who plays for the Italian club Juventus, was allegedly targeted by racial abuse from spectators following Sunday's 2-0 win over Parma at Allianz Stadium.
McKennie didn't start the match, but entered as a substitute in the 89th minute. The incident allegedly occurred when McKennie and other teammates were doing some post-match training on the field.
Following the incident, the Juventus FC official X account posted a strong condemnation of the alleged racial abuse directed at the American midfielder.
This evening, at the end of the match against Parma, Weston McKennie was subjected to discriminatory racist remarks by some individuals in the away section, while he was training on the pitch with his teammates who had not taken part in the game. Juventus strongly condemns this incident and any form of racism, and will ensure full cooperation with the sporting justice authorities to identify those responsible.
USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie was allegedly subjected to racist abuse following Juventus’ win over Parma.
(Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
This isn't the first incident involving European soccer fans and black players this month. Two weeks ago, Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo reported racial abuse to officials during a match against Liverpool.
According to CBS Sports, Merseyside Police—which covers the city of Liverpool—arrested an individual for "suspicion of committing a racially aggravated offense."
While racial incidents in U.S. sports often draw intense media attention – even ones that were "not substantiated", like with WNBA player Angel Reese – these incidents show that European soccer players frequently face even harsher treatment.
The outcry that typically follows alleged racial incidents in American sports rarely acknowledges the harsher realities athletes like Weston McKennie face in Europe. If U.S. coverage is to be truly honest about racism in sports, it should reflect the global scale of the problem rather than treating it as a uniquely American issue.