Pisa striker Michele Marconi has been handed a 10-match after he was found guilty of racial phrase on Super Eagles midfielder Joel Obi.
Michele Marconi was initially cleared of any wrongdoing after the first hearing in March, but Italian Court found him guilty in the second hearing on Wednesday.
Football Italian reported that the court decided to ban the player after studying new evidence presented by Joel Obi’s club Chievo.
The incident occurred when Pisa and Chievo Verona clash in Italian Serie B back on December 22, 2020.
“When I heard that phrase, my mind just went for a few minutes, asking myself if I’d really heard it,” Obi (pictured) told online magazine Athleta after the incident.
“I kept playing, but my focus was elsewhere. It’s incredible that someone could use words like that today, especially with all the efforts people are making to weaken the ‘disease’ of racism.”