While eight Serie A players are banned, including Mattia Zaccagni and Giacomo Raspadori, Hellas Verona saw heavy fines and a partial stadium closure over racist chants.

The controversy after Sunday’s game at the Stadio Bentegodi was all about the disgusting banner hung up by Hellas fans, which pointed Russia towards the co-ordinates of the city of Naples, urging them to bomb it.

However, as that was outside the stadium and not brought into the arena, it was not reason for punishment.

The Verona ultras did plenty more to warrant seeing their section of the stadium closed for one match, as the Disciplinary Commission report identified that almost the entire 4,000 group of fans in that area repeatedly made racist and territorial discrimination chants throughout the game.

Under the Italian rules, ‘territorial discrimination’ – anti-Southern Italy – chants are treated the same way as racism.

Verona are repeat offenders and so many of their fans in the curva were involved in the insulting chants that they were penalised with the closure of that part of the stadium.

Verona were also fined €4,000 for throwing flares onto the pitch and a further €3,000 for insulting chants aimed towards the referee.

The following players have been given a one-match ban in Serie A: Marco Davide Faraoni (Verona), Kevin Bonifazi (Bologna), Federico Ceccherini (Verona), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Ivan Ilic (Verona), Nicola Sansone (Bologna) and Davide Zappacosta (Atalanta).

Roma assistant manager Salvatore Foti has been given a one-match ban and fined €5,000 for insulting the referee, for which he was sent off.

3 thought on “Verona partial stadium closure over racist chants”
  1. Verona is a Florence wannabe while the fans think there in Austria and think it’s still 1938.
    They haven’t won the scudetto since 1984 and sit 22 points from the top this year. They seem to do better in Seie B and thats where they should stay. But they do have great wine maybe thats the reason for their problems.

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