This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has expressed concern over the persistent issue of racism in Italian football, following a recent Serie A match between Atalanta and Fiorentina that was halted due to racist abuse of Brazilian player Dalbert.
Infantino, who was in Italy ahead of the FIFA Best Awards, told the Italian Rai2 channel that the situation has not improved and that it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
"In Italy the situation has not improved and this is serious," Infantino said. "Racism is fought through education, condemning it, talking about it, we cannot accept racism in society and in football. We have to identify those responsible and throw them out of the stadiums, we need clear sentences, as in England, we must not be afraid to condemn the racists, we must fight them to the end."
Since the beginning of the season, several players, including Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku and AC Milan's Franck Kessie, have been targeted by monkey cries during league games without any sanction being taken.
Infantino's comments come after a Serie A match between Atalanta and Fiorentina was halted for several minutes due to racist abuse of Dalbert, who asked the referee to stop play until a warning statement was read out by the stadium speaker.
Play resumed after three minutes, with Fiorentina leading 1-0 after a goal from Federico Chiesa.
Elsewhere, Napoli eased past Lecce 4-1, with Fernando Llorente scoring a brace, while Edin Dzeko struck a stoppage-time winner for Roma.
Published on September 23, 2019, at 6:13 PM EAT.
