Italian media have criticized the participation of Czech side Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League after their fans allegedly targeted Inter goalkeeper with racial abuse in yesterday’s group stage clash.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Il Giornale suggested that the Czech champions did not prove themselves to be worthy opponents for the Nerazzurri, who travelled to play in a small stadium, met a mediocre opponent, and suffered fan racism.
Inter did not expect an easy match against Plzen despite the difference in quality between the two teams on paper, given that the Czechs had made it through the qualification campaign in impressive fashion.
However, according to Il Giornale, the match was hardly worth the travel for the Nerazzurri, who beat Plzen 2-0 without getting out of second gear and after having rotated the team significantly.
The newspaper notes that Barcelona had already cruised past the Czech champions 5-1 in their group stage opener, and deem that Plzen are a clear weak link in what is otherwise an extremely competitive group also featuring Bayern Munich.
The fan racism that was allegedly directed at Onana came under the most criticism from Il Giornale, who suggest that if this is the kind of thing that can be expected from fans of Plzen, then questions have to be asked as to whether they belong in Europe’s top competition.
