AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso backed his former manager Carlo Ancelotti in calls for teams to walk off the pitch if a player is racially abused.

Ancelotti, currently in charge of Napoli, witnessed his defender Kalidou Koulibaly being racially abused by Inter Milan fans on Wednesday and despite raising it with the match officials, and three separate stadium announcements calling for Inter supporters to stop, nothing was done during the game.

Koulibaly was subsequently sent off for sarcastically applauding the referee after picking up a booking and Ancelotti said after the match that should any of his players be subjected to racial abuse during a match, the team would walk off the pitch, even if it meant forfeiting the match.

Gattuso agreed with team’s taking that course of action, though remarked that Italy is not the only country to have a problem with racism, using England as an example where footballers are racially abused.

“I could not agree more with what Ancelotti said,” Gattuso told Milan TV. “Certainly we’re not the only nation where these things happen. Just look at England, which has a great sporting culture. 

“I think it’s time for football to stop, for the games to be interrupted. We have to improve, it’s almost 2019. Too often there are four idiots starting these chants.

“I don’t think Italy is a racist country, because there are so many immigrants. It’s right that games are halted.

“I have seen bananas being thrown on the pitch in other countries, we have to try and applaud when those imbeciles make their chants. Koulibaly is like a tank, he is a strong player and they fear him.

“It is right to stop the game but we have to remember that it regards only four imbeciles and not the whole stadium, we have to respect everyone, whether white or black.”

Inter have since been told they will play their next two home games behind closed doors.

A fan was killed prior to Wednesday’s game following a collision with a van.