Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi was subjected to racial abuse during St. Gallen’s UEFA Europa Conference League game against Slask Wroclaw.
Despite the Polish side’s victory, though, it was St. Gallen who advanced to the final round of qualifiers via a 4-3 aggregate win, having triumphed 2-0 in the first leg.
There was, however, a moment of controversy that marred the game when goalkeeper Ati Zigi was subjected to racial abuse by some of the home fans.
Ati Zigi receives support from his club in the wake of racial abuse
The Ghana international was exasperated by the act and stepped out of his post to confront the fans behind the goal who were making monkey chants at him.
Ati Zigi had to be restrained by his teammates as he charged towards the alleged perpetrators before reporting it to the referee.
In the aftermath of the game, St. Gallen manager Enrico Maassen said the shot-stopper was left “devastated in the dressing room” by the incident.
Midfielder Bastien Toma also added: “Lawrence was really sad and touched. It’s the first time I’ve experienced a situation like this and it was extremely strong.
“I was far from the action at the time but when you see your teammate so unwell in the locker room, it hits you in the guts. We, the players, the staff and even our supporters, we were all there for him.”
Meanwhile, St. Gallen have reported the incident to UEFA, who are set to initiate an investigation.
