Fans of the Italian club accused of anti-Semitism
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In Serie A, a new scandal flares up
Italian sports authorities announced on November 8 that they had launched an investigation into anti-Semitic chants by Lazio football fans during Sunday’s derby against Roma. According to AFP, the incident occurred during the match of the 13th round of Serie A in Rome, in which Lazio defeated Roma in the Rome derby.
Massive offensive chants directed against Roma fans and players can be clearly heard in the videos circulated on social networks on Monday, November 7th. According to Italian media, Lazio fans chanted insults several times, including after the final whistle, when Lazio players came to celebrate the victory in the northern sector of the Olympic Stadium, where Lazio fans were located. In a statement, the Serie A leadership announced an investigation, together with the disciplinary committees of the Italian Football Federation, in order to establish the number of fans involved in the offenses and obtain information from the police.
“Lazio fans chanted these rude, offensive and religiously discriminatory chants several times before and during the match,” Serie A said in a statement.
The Lazio football club reacted to the scandal on the evening of November 7, stating that it “always condemned in the strongest possible terms any manifestations of anti-Semitism and racism, which now, unfortunately, appear in almost all matches and in all stadiums in Italy.” These expressions “are not part of our culture and do not represent our fans,” the club said in a statement. At the same time, it is well known that most of Lazio’s “ultras” openly admit that they hold far-right views.
This is not the only incident of its kind in Italian football. In early September 2022, the local football federation had already launched an investigation following anti-Semitic chants from Juventus and Inter fans.
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