Italian clubs squeeze face for Serie A anti–racism monkey poster

AC Milan don condemn di monkey artwork for Serie A anti-racism campaign.

Di 'No To Racism' posters show three monkey dem wey dem paint dia face.

Dis dey come less than three weeks afta clubs promise to fight di "serious problem" for Italian football.

"Art dey powerful, but we no support di use of monkey as picture for di fight against racism," dat na according to statement wey AC Milan release.

Di club add say "dem surprise say nobody consult dem" ova di artwork, wey dem go display for Serie A headquarters for Milan.

AS Roma too say dem "surprise", for di matter, dem add say: "We understand say di league want tackle racism but we no believe say dis na di right way to do am."

For inside news conference on Monday, Simone Fugazzotto, wey be artist wey dey always use monkey for im work say: "For artist nothing dey more important than to try to change tins with im own work.

"I decide to use monkey dem to tok about racism because dem be di symbol for human beings. Last year I bin dey stadium to watch di Inter v Napoli [match wey dem racially abuse Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly]

"I don dey paint monkey dem for five to six years now, so I bin tink say I go do dis work to teach pipo say all of us na apes. I make di western monkey with blue and white eyes, di Asian monkey with almond-shape eyes and di black monkey wey dey for centre, na wia everything dey come from.

"Di monkey na di spark to teach everyone say we no dey different, nothing like man or monkey we resemble. If anytin all of us na monkey."

Anti-discriminatory body Fare say dem dey "shocked". Dem add say di campaign look like sick joke while Kick It Out add say di use of monkey "no make sense".