Ghana star Sulley Ali Muntari has bizarrely been handed a match suspension by the Disciplinary Commission of Italian football for walking off the field due to racist insults during Pescara’s clash at Cagliari.

The incident caused huge controversy in Serie A and beyond, as the midfielder was booked for dissent.

The Ghana international then became angry and walked off the field, as the official refused to stop the game.

Not only has the Muntari yellow card not been rescinded, and therefore he is given a one-match ban, but also Cagliari have avoided any punishment for the racist chants.

Italian football authorities will not punish Cagliari for their fans' racial chants. 

This is because the officials at the ground wrote in their report that the racist chants were coming from only around 10 people, thus less than one per cent of the circa 2,000 in the stadium.

They also noted it was only audible because the rest of the supporters were staging a ‘silent protest’ and therefore the decision was made not to penalise Cagliari, not even with a warning or a fine.

"It could not really be heard and, furthermore, was not heard by the referee (as mentioned in his match report)."

Meanwhile, Pescara have released a statement standing by their ace midfielder. 

'After reflecting and analysing the various statements with a cool head, Delfino Pescara 1936 take a firm position alongside its player to send a strong signal against any type of racist discrimination, whether it’s done by one or 100 people,” read the club statement.

This pointed reference is because the Disciplinary Commission did not take any action against Cagliari because the racist abuse came from “only around 10 people,” thus less than one per cent of the circa 2,000 in the stadium.

''Having said that, knowing the fairness of the people of Cagliari, and in apologising for the behaviour of the player that was outside of the rules, we confide in the good common sense already shown on Sunday by all those present and hopes that in future these incidents will be confronted and resolved in categorical fashion.”

For the World players' union Fifpro, Muntari's yellow card and suspension should be rescinded by authorities. 

They issued a statement Tuesday saying it urged "Italian authorities to hear Muntari's version of events, investigate why the situation was mismanaged, and take firm action to ensure this never happens again."

The statement added that "Muntari's yellow card should be rescinded" and that "players should feel comfortable bringing any issue to the attention of the referee, especially one as significant as allegations of racism in the workplace."

The 32-year-old Muntari, who said he had tried to reason with the fans, left his side with 10 men for stoppage time in the match, which Cagliari won 1-0.

"The fans were wrong, but the referee had to act differently, not accuse me of causing trouble," the former Portsmouth midfielder said after the game. "If the officials actually stopped games, I am convinced these things wouldn't happen anymore."