The now-retired Umtiti accepted an exclusive interview with the media. He specifically recalled the racist incidents he encountered in Serie A and clarified the real reason for crying at the time.

Talked about the racist incident that occurred during the Lecce vs. Lazio match on January 4, 2023

"I want to clarify the facts. I did hear some fans making monkey noises as soon as I got the ball. But I tell you the truth, I wanted to return to the game and compete. It was too much. I felt so good in that game, like I was one of the Avengers. I said: 'No one can disturb my happiness, not even the fans.' The Lazio players said to me: 'No, if you want, we will stop. ’ I replied: ‘No, I’ll deal with it, let’s move on. ’ I was overwhelmed with emotion at the end of the game, but it wasn’t because of the fans at all. I didn’t care about them at all.” It’s been a long time since I’ve played a full 90 minutes like that. It was incredible to have those feelings. I was touched by what happened in the stands, but also in my daily life.”

What do you think of the current progress against racism in football?

"We see this going nowhere at all. Honestly, it's not going anywhere. Those players who decided to stop playing, what does that change? A month later and it happens again? That changes nothing."

"My starting point is that if we don't do everything necessary and don't come together as one to stop this It's not going to get better. We live in a world where it still shocks me that something like this happens and we say: 'This is normal, they are Lazio fans. ' It's not normal at all, but in the end I know I can't change things."

Do you think the current measures are "hypocritical"?

"Let me put it bluntly, what is happening now is "hypocrisy", because if you really want to do something, you can do it."

Do you have any specific solutions?

"I'm not part of a governing body, but there are so many tools and it's easy. You do targeting. With video surveillance? Exactly. You do a thorough job and it stops very quickly. We've seen that in some countries, at some clubs, it doesn't happen anymore, but in some clubs it continues. If we really want to stop something, we can stop it."