ITALIAN CLUB LAZIO have been hit with a partial stadium closure for their next Europa League home match against Celtic for ‘racist behaviour’ by fans against Rennes, Uefa have confirmed.
The Roman side have been ordered to close four sections of the Stadio Olimpico which make up the Curva Nord (North Stand) for the game against the Scottish champions on 7 November.
Lazio had been charged after some of their supporters made fascist salutes in the Curva Nord section during the 2-1 home win over French club Rennes on October 3.
Lazio have also been fined €20,000 by European football’s governing body, which has called for football to launch a war on racism.
A suspended sentence of playing one match behind closed doors was also handed down while Lazio must display a banner with the wording #EqualGame, with the Uefa logo on it.
On Tuesday, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said football needed to ‘wage war’ on racism, after Bulgaria’s football union chief resigned following racist incidents at England’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Bulgaria in Sofia the previous day.
Lazio released a statement prior to the announcement protesting the “deeply damaging” ruling.
“The decisions constitute a heavy penalty that seems not to have taken into account the clear condemnation from the Biancocelesti club against the odious racist behaviour of a few irresponsible people,” the club said.
The statement added that the club “reaffirms its intention to prosecute criminally and civilly those responsible for unacceptable behaviour”.
Ryan Bailey steps into the presenter’s chair where he’s joined by Murray Kinsella and Eoin Toolan on the line for Japan to tee up one of the biggest, if not the biggest week in Irish rugby: a World Cup quarter-final against back-to-back champions New Zealand.
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