Soccer Player Leads Team Off Field Amid Racist Taunts

It's a stirring scene: A black soccer player for AC Milan got so fed up with racist fans taunting him that he booted the ball in their direction and brought the game to a halt. Midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng then pulled off his jersey and walked off the field—and his entire team followed, reports the Telegraph. Soccer has a notorious racism problem, and Boateng's stand during the exhibition match in Italy is raising hopes that the sport will finally get serious about it. Current rules call for players to stay on the field, no matter what kind of abuse they're taking. (In this case, monkey chants, notes the New York Times.)

"Walking off was the right choice when faced with something like this," says Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, reports AP. "We need to stop these uncivil gestures. Italy needs to improve and become better educated and more intelligent." (More soccer stories.)