During a friendly match between AC Milan and Italian fourth-tier side Pro Patria in 2013, Kevin Prince-Boateng walked off the pitch in protest at racist chanting from fans.
The Ghanaian international, now playing for Hertha Berlin, reacted to abuse by picking up the ball and kicking it at the crowd in the stand behind him in the 26th minute of the game, before taking off his shirt and heading towards the tunnel at the other end of the pitch. Other players followed him, leading to the match being subsequently abandoned.
However, while Prince-Boateng recognises the significance of his action, he exclusively tells FourFourTwo that, unfortunately, he believes nothing has changed since doing what he did.
"The walk-off was an important stance, but it didn’t help anything," Kevin Prince-Boateng explains to FFT. We didn’t get better, or fight racism more. In my moment there was anger, sadness and pain.
"It should have brought something that would help. It didn’t. This was in 2013 – almost a decade ago – and we still see it today. I don’t even want UEFA and FIFA’s help any more, because they have had so many opportunities to do something, and they didn’t.
"It was more important to spend money on goal-line technology and VAR. Whatever – they decide what they do. But players and teams should walk off every time until we get help."
Indeed, players have proceeded to do so since Prince-Boateng's protest in 2013.
During a La Liga game between Valencia and Cadiz in 2021, Valencia players walked off the pitch in protest at the alleged racist abuse of Mouctar Diakhaby. Play was temporarily halted in the 30th minute of the game due to the walk-off.
Similarly, in a League One game between Bolton and Morecambe last season, Bolton manager Ian Evatt confronted referee Ross Joyce in the closing stages of the game, asking for a stoppage after hearing racist abuse from the stands.
The referee subsequently led the players off the pitch, before returning to finish the game later on.
