Serie A announced on Friday that Lazio will face a one-match closure of their stand due to their fans making racist monkey chants at Roma player Romelu Lukaku during a recent Italian Cup match.
The closure affects the Stadio Olimpico’s three sections predominantly occupied by Lazio’s fervent supporters, impacting the upcoming league game against Napoli on January 28.
The sanctions are for “crude, offensive and racially discriminatory” chants aimed at Lukaku, mainly from the Curva Nord and nearby areas whenever he had the ball.
Four observers from the Italian Football Federation confirmed hearing the abuse from about 90% of the 16,000 fans in those sections.
Lazio, known for its right-wing fan base in a country with notable fascist groups, has a history of similar incidents. Last April, they received a suspended stand closure for anti-Semitic and racist chanting in a Roma derby.
Their fans also upset French player Samuel Umtiti in a match at Lecce last January.
This isn’t the first racist incident Lukaku has faced in Italy, having previously been targeted by Juventus and Cagliari supporters. The Cagliari incident led to no punishment, followed by an open letter from Inter’s hardcore fans claiming monkey chants were not racist.
Additionally, Lazio has been fined 50,000 euros for fans breaking a security barrier and throwing objects at Roma supporters, who also incurred a 15,000 euro fine for retaliating.
