Serie A's sporting judge on Thursday
said he was opening an inquiry into alleged over racial chants
directed at Inter's Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku during the
Nerazzurri's 1-0 win over league leaders Napoli at the San Siro
Wednesday night.
The judge, Gerardo Mastrandrea, has in fact asked the federal
inspectors for clarification on the chants allagedly addressed
by Neapolitan fans to Lukaku, after giving Lazio fans a
one-match stand closure for chants against two Lecce players in
their 2-1 home win over the Biancpcelesti in Puglia.
In his decisions on matchday 16, the judge speaks of 'chants of
racial discrimination' by Napoli supporters "positioned in the
third blue ring sector" of the San Siro, and asks the Federal
Prosecutor's Office, if necessary "to further hear the
(official) responsible for public order", noting that these
areas of the ground are normally occupied by away fans.
Italian Professional Footballers Association AIC on Thursday
"firmly condemned" the racist abuse Lecce players Samuel Umtiti
and Lameck Banda were subjected to by Lazio fans during the
Serie A match between the teams on Wednesday - an incident that
led Serie A's sporting judge to close the Lazio ultra end of the
Olimpico for one game.
The Rome club also released a statement condemning the racism
during the match, which hosts Lecce won 2-1.
Lazio, like many Italian teams, has a significant number of
far-right supporters among its fans.
They have been behind a series of shameful acts of racism and
anti-Semitism in the past.
There are also groups of Lazio fans that are against racism,
such as the Lazio e Liberta' group, and are trying to combat the
stereotype that depicts all the team's supporters as
neo-fascists.
Napoli's lead at the top of Serie A has been cut to five points
after they lost 1-0 to Inter at San Siro on Wednesday, when the
Italian to flight returned after the long break for the World
Cup in Qatar. A header by Edin Dzeko was enough for fouth-placed
Inter to bag all the points.
Napoli have 41 points from 16 games, while second-placed AC
Milan have 36 after a 2-1 win at Salernitana. Juve are two
points further back in fourth and one point ahead of Inter
thanks to a 1-0 win at second-bottom Cremonese. Sixth-placed AS
Roma beat Bologna 1-0 at home and pulled level on points with
city rivals Lazio, who suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at Lecce.
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