Italian football should apply English-style punishments to supporters guilty of racism, says Gianni Infantino, the president of world governing body Fifa. Sunday’s game between Atalanta and Fiorentina was halted after reports of racist chanting, the latest in a line of similar incidents in Italy.
In England, fans who engage in racist behaviour face stadium bans. “You can’t have racism in society or in football,” said Infantino. “In Italy, the situation hasn’t improved.” Fiorentina’s Brazilian wing-back Dalbert told the referee he had been the target of racist chanting and the Serie A match, which finished 2-2, was temporarily suspended.
An announcement was read out over the public address system and the game continued. Last week, Cagliari were cleared of racist chanting towards Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku in a Serie A match.
