Claudio Marchisio has spoken about having the courage to face criticism as well as discuss the issue of racism in football.
The 35-year-old spoke about how Juventus fans were disappointed to lose the 2015 Champions League Final against Barcelona and that it was important to confront the jeering.
However, he also spoke of racism and how a star like AC Milan striker George Weah had to endure it in the 1990s, and that the issue is not addressed enough in Italy.
“I lost a Champions League Final and we all know what happened in the San Carlo square,” Marchisio said at the Turin International Book Fair.
“Yet the comments were, ‘You should have won’. Yes, I still feel rotten for not winning it, but the first thought was of my city.
“We need to have courage, courage also to speak of racism. The cases are there. I remember the boos whenever Weah came to Turin. At times, we keep silent about it.”
Despite his stance on racism, Marchisio is critical of the indecisiveness regarding athletes taking the knee before matches.
“At the Euros, some decided to kneel, others no, but that was the answer later,” he said.
“Some decided to do it only if the opponents did it. Either you believe in it or you don’t, you can’t say that I respect it.”
