FIFA president Gianni Infantino called on football fans to "stand up and shut up all the racists once and for all" after Samuel Umtiti and Lecce team-mate Lameck Banda were subjected to abuse.
Lecce's 2-1 comeback win over Lazio at Stadio Via del Mare on Wednesday was overshadowed by a section of Lazio fans in the away end aiming racist abuse towards Umtiti and Banda.
The match was halted for several minutes by referee Livio Marinelli and a message was played over the announcer system warning the match would not resume if the chants continued.
Home supporters chanted Umtiti's name in solidarity and he asked for the match to resume, but the Barcelona loanee reportedly left the field in tears at full-time.
"Umtiti asked for the game to resume because he wanted to respond to the insults he received on the pitch. He reacted like a true champion," Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani said after the match.
Lecce condemned the racist abuse in a statement on Wednesday and Umtiti posted a message of his own on social media that read: "Only football, fun, joy. The rest doesn't count."
Umtiti received supportive replies from the likes of Jerome Boateng, Naby Sarr and Alexandre Lacazette, while FIFA chief Infantino also offered his backing for the centre-back and Zambia international Banda.
"Solidarity with Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda – let's shout it loud and clear: No to racism," he wrote alongside photos of Umtiti and Banda in action.
"May the huge majority of fans, who are good people, stand up and shut up all the racists once and for all."
The unsavoury incident came on the first day of Serie A action following a near-two-month break for the World Cup.
Lecce's victory, secured thanks to goals from Gabriel Strefezza and Lorenzo Colombo after Ciro Immobile had given Lazio the lead, moved them up to 12th in Serie A.
Lopetegui ready to ease pressure as he targets first home win
Julen Lopetegui says he expects to be under pressure after West Ham's recent struggles at home but hopes to put that right against Ipswich Town.
West Ham have won just one of their six Premier League matches so far, away to Crystal Palace, but have lost all three of their home fixtures, conceding eight goals and scoring twice.
Having failed to win any of their last four in the league, along with a heavy 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the EFL Cup before last week's draw at Brentford, Lopetegui is coming under a little pressure already.
However, the Spaniard is not fazed by that, explaining his team are working hard to change their fortunes at the London Stadium.
"Always it's very important to win, and that's why we work hard every day. We want to win for sure," Lopetegui said.
"Ipswich are a good team, and all our thoughts are on Saturday.
"Our job is to live under pressure, and it is normal because we haven't won at home yet. That's why we are working, to try and win on Saturday against Ipswich."
Meanwhile, the Tractor Boys are still searching for their first win since being promoted back to the top-flight.
There is reason to be optimistic though, as Ipswich have drawn each of their last four outings, including 2-2 against Aston Villa last weekend.
Kieran McKenna is expecting another tough test but knows his players will show their competitiveness once again.
"I know it is another big game, another big challenge and one to look forward to," McKenna said.
"Let's hope we can make it really competitive. I don't think there [will be] many weeks this year where we are going to blow teams out of the water, so we need to work really, really hard to be competitive.
"We hope we can be really clinical in our execution when we have our moments and defend their moments well to give ourselves a chance to get a result."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
West Ham – Tomas Soucek
Tomas Soucek netted his 29th Premier League goal for West Ham United in their 1-1 draw with Brentford, overtaking Milan Baros (28) into second place for the top Czechia scorers in Premier League history.
He is now only behind Patrik Berger (38 goals), a record he will be keen to start chasing down.
Ipswich Town – Sam Morsy
No player has more Premier League yellow cards this season than Ipswich midfielder Sam Morsy (four) and was perhaps lucky not to receive a second against Aston Villa last weekend.
Since his Ipswich league debut in September 2021, only one player has more yellow cards in the league in England's top four tiers than Morsy's total of 40, but given his importance to McKenna's side, the manager will be hoping he can avoid another.
MATCH PREDICTION: WEST HAM WIN
West Ham have lost just one of their eight Premier League meetings with Ipswich (W3 D4), a 1-0 home loss in March 2001. Their last such meeting was a 3-1 victory for the Hammers in March 2002.
However, Ipswich won their last two league meetings with West Ham, beating them 1-0 away and 5-1 at home in the 2011-12 Championship campaign.
West Ham have lost their three home Premier League games this season, the first time they have started a season with three home defeats. The Hammers have not suffered four defeats in a row in the top-flight at the London Stadium since the final four home matches of Manuel Pellegrini's reign in November-December 2019.
Indeed, West Ham have won just five points in their opening six Premier League matches this season (W1 D2 L3), the fifth time in the last nine seasons they have had five or fewer points at this stage of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Ipswich are winless in all six Premier League games this season (D2 L4), only once starting a top-flight season with a longer winless start, in 1969-70 (seven games).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
West Ham – 51.3%
Draw – 23.8%
Ipswich Town – 24.9%
Popp to bring curtain down on illustrious Germany career
Germany great Alexandra Popp has confirmed her impending international retirement.
Popp, the captain of Germany's women's team, will play her final game for her country on October 28, against Australia.
The 33-year-old has played for Germany since 2010, and has scored 67 goals in 144 appearances.
She won gold at the Rio Olympics and claimed bronze in Paris this year, while also leading Germany at two World Cups and skippering them at the 2022 Euros, in which they reached the final before losing to England.
"I have always stressed that my gut will make the decision, and now it has," Wolfsburg's Popp said in a video posted on social media on Monday.
"After long, tearful deliberations, I have decided with a heavy heart to end my career with the national team. The fire that ignited in me 18 years ago and grew stronger from year to year has now almost burnt out.
"It was always important to me to make this decisive decision myself, from within myself. Neither my body, which is a ticking time bomb, nor another person should get ahead of me.
"Before the fire is completely extinguished - because then it would be too late - the right time has now come."
Popp missed Germany's Euro 2013 success due to injury.
Al Kholood 2-4 Al-Hilal: Koulibaly on target as champions move to summit
Al-Hilal withstood a late Al Kholood rally to move top of the Saudi Pro League following a 4-2 victory at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.
The damage was done during a late first-half surge by the reigning champions, who leapfrogged Al-Ittihad to the summit of the table.
Al-Hilal broke the deadlock in the 38th minute through former Napoli and Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who finished after Renan Lodi initially struck the woodwork.
Malcom doubled the lead four minutes later, then Ali Al Bulayhi made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time.
Former Atletico Madrid and Nottingham Forest defender Lodi then got in the act to make it four within three minutes of the restart.
The hosts finished the contest the stronger of the two sides with Hammam Al Hammami and a William Troost-Ekong penalty halving the deficit, but that rally could not prevent the visitors from remaining perfect after their first five games.
Data Debrief: Al-Hilal remain perfect
Al-Hilal have won each of their opening five games in a Saudi Pro League season for the third time in their history, also achieving the feat in 2010-11 and 2018-19.
Jorge Jesus' side also continued their dominant record against newly promoted clubs, having now won each of their last nine such matches.
Despite their late surge, Al Kholood suffered their third defeat of the season, though there was individual cause for celebration, as former Al-Hilal player Mohammed Jahfali came on for his 200th Saudi Pro League appearance.
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