AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has said that he was treated like "an animal" by the Pro Patria supporters who racially abused him during a friendly game in Busto Arsizio in January.
The Ghanaian walked off the pitch in protest and was followed by the rest of his Milan teammates, the incident subsequently sparking worldwide discussions on how football should tackle the problem of racism.
La Gazzetta dello Sport now reports that during a court hearing in Busto Arsizio, Boateng told judge Toni Adet Novik how he was racially abused by the Pro Patria fans.
"Every time I touched the ball I could hear chants being directed straight at me - a kind of 'buh buh' noise that you'd make at an animal," he said.
"I think they were insulting me because my skin isn't white. It happened in Germany too and for me this is clearly racism."
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri was also present at the court hearing and gave evidence in favour of Boateng.
"[Boateng] was very shocked and saddened," said the Italian. "He was not happy over the following days. These are serious incidents which must not happen and the decision to interrupt the match was the right one."
Defender Daniele Bonera added: "[Boateng] was being insulted every time he touched the ball and the [black] players were very upset.
"The chants reminded me of monkey noises and I think he's intelligent enough to know the difference between a racist chant and normal teasing."
Boateng will meet FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Geneva on Friday to discuss ways to combat racism in football.
Subhankar Mondal
