© AP
The Serie A started again this week with the 16th match day. Inter and Romelu Lukaku handed leader Napoli a first league defeat, but it now appears that Partenopei supporters misbehaved during the top match.
Vincent Van Genechten
An investigation has been launched into racist chants against Lukaku. Images have not yet surfaced, but the inspectors of the federal prosecutor’s office present at Inter’s stadium have been instructed to investigate the matter further. Napoli risks having to play one or more matches with fewer or even without fans.
“After reading the report, the sports judge deems it necessary to investigate where the racist chants towards footballer Lukaku came from,” it says in a press release. “They seemed to come from the ‘third blue ring’, where Napoli supporters normally sit at Inter’s home games.”
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Infantino thinks so
There were also discriminatory chants in the match between Lecce and Lazio. They were addressed to Samuel Umtiti – the Frenchman who scored the only goal in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup against the Red Devils – and Lameck Banda.
The Serie A game was briefly halted on Wednesday evening when Lazio fans indulged in insults. After a call to stop the racist chants, the game resumed. Lecce fans then loudly chanted Umtiti’s name, who is said to have left the field in tears.
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“Racist insults were drowned out by chants of encouragement towards our champion Umtiti,” Lecce later stated. Lazio received a penalty for such offenses for the umpteenth time today. The Curva Nord of the Stadio Olimpico – where the hard core is located – will close for one match. Lazio said it would do everything possible to eradicate racism.
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Gianni Infantino showed solidarity with Umtiti and Banda on social media. “Let’s say it loud and clear: no to racism,” the FIFA boss wrote as a caption to photos of Umtiti and Banda. “May the vast majority of fans, who are good people, stand up to silence all racists once and for all.”
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