ROME – After the drop of the unfair penalty, the Italian league Muslim star Sulley Muntari said he was “treated like a criminal” after he complained about being racially abused in a Serie A match last week.

“The last few days have been very hard for me. I have felt angry and isolated,” he said in a statement issued by the international professional players’ association FIFPro, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

“I was being treated like a criminal. How could I be punished when I was the victim of racism?”

The ex-Portsmouth midfielder said he heard the chants throughout the match at Cagliari’s Stadio Sant’Elia and asked referee Daniele Minelli to stop the game.

Instead, the former Ghana midfielder was shown a yellow card in the 90th minute and then angrily left the pitch, leaving Pescara, who lost 1-0, to play out stoppage time with 10 men.

The red card was followed by a one-game ban that was lifted later after pressure from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the world players’ union Fifpro.

“I hope my case can help so that other footballers do not suffer like me. I hope it can be a turning point in Italy and show the world what it means to stand up for your rights,” Muntari said.

“This is an important victory to send a message that there’s no place for racism in football, or society in general.”