Barca release statement in support of Umtiti as centre-back suffers racial abuse in latest match for Lecce

Samuel Umtiti and his teammate Lameck Banda were racially abused by the Lazio fans on Wednesday in a home game for Lecce, so much so that the referee even considered stopping the match.

In support of their loanee, Barcelona have released an official statement reading: "FC Barcelona fully supports Samuel Umtiti and stands firm in its total opposition to any and all forms of violence, racism, xenophobia, and intolerance."

Unfortunately, racist chants can also be heard in Spain, but the problem in Italy seems to be much worse.

As per prior reports, Umtiti is open to continuing in Italy beyond his loan at Lecce. However, the defender should definitely consider other options too for his own good.