Samuel Umtiti and his Zambian teammate Lameck Banda suffered racial abuse from Lazio fans on Thursday, per the Mirror.
The game referee stopped the match for a few minutes as the stadium announcer asked the away fans to stop chanting inappropriate stuff. After a while, Umtiti himself asked the referee to continue the play.
"When the referee stopped the game, waiting for the announcer to call for an end to the racist chants, Umtiti asked for the game to resume because he wanted to respond to the insults he received on the pitch. He reacted like a true champion," Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani told the media.
Umtiti left the pitch in tears as Lecce fans were chanting his name after the final whistle. His team pulled off a sensation, having won 2-1. The Frenchman was one of the best players on the pitch.
Lecce also supported Umtiti after the game.
"Racist chants have been overwhelmed by songs of encouragement! All the yellow and red Lecce fans started shouting one name: Umtiti."
Umtiti is having a solid season on loan despite a slow start to the campaign. Lecce are currently 12th in the Serie A table.
