Napoli’s Koulibaly praises referee after Lazio racism row

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has taken the opportunity to express his gratitude for the support he received after becoming embroiled in a racism controversy during the Partenopei’s 2-0 victory over Lazio on Wednesday evening.

The game was halted for four minutes while referee Massimiliano Irrati ensured a message was passed on to fans who were racially abusing Koulibaly that should they continue, the match would be stopped for good.

“A major victory!” the Senegalese noted on his Instagram page, “But I want to thank everyone for their messages of solidarity that I have received. I also want to thank the players of Lazio, but especially the referee Irrati for his courage.

“I thank my team-mates, the club and our fans, who have given great support against these unsavoury songs.”

Una vittoria importante! Però stasera voglio ringraziare tutti per i messaggi di solidarietà che mi sono arrivati. voglio ringraziare anche i giocatori della Lazio, ma soprattutto l’arbitro Irrati per il suo coraggio. Ringrazio i miei compagni di squadra, la società e i nostri tifosi che sono stati di un grande sostegno contro queste brutti cori! Andiamo avanti e forza Napoli sempre! #koulibaly #kkoulibaly26 #teamkk26 #teamR-kell #forzanapolisempre #napoli #vittoria

A photo posted by Kalidou Koulibaly (@kkoulibaly26) on Feb 3, 2016 at 4:11pm PST

Koulibaly has been with Napoli for two seasons, making nearly 50 appearances for the club to date.