Italian Professional Footballers
Association AIC on Thursday "firmly condemned" the racist abuse
Lecce players Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda were subjected to
by Lazio fans during the Serie A match between the teams on
Wednesday.
The Rome club also released a statement condemning the racism
during the match, which hosts Lecce won 2-1.
"We express our support and unconditional solidarity for the two
players in the name of all of us," said AIC President Umberto
Calcagno in a statement.
He called for the sporting authorities to get to the bottom of
what had happened as soon as possible and for the application of
"the appropriate penalities for the subjects guilty of this
serious behaviour.
"These so-called fans have nothing to do with the millions of
enthusiasts who follow our sport faithfully," he added.
Lazio, like many Italian teams, has a significant number of
far-right supporters among its fans.
They have been behind a series of shameful acts of racism and
anti-Semitism in the past.
There are also groups of Lazio fans that are against racism,
such as the Lazio e Liberta' group, and are trying to combat the
stereotype that depicts all the team's supporters as
neo-fascists.
In condemning the abuse, Lazio said that the club had "always
combatted every form of racism and discrimination with every
means at its disposal, staging initiatives to repress such
phenomena, raise the awareness of its fans about these issues
and protect its image at the appropriate fora.
"Once again today, SS Lazio condemns those who were the
protagonists of this vile, shameful and anachronistic gesture
and, as always, will offer total collaboration with the
authorities to identify those responsible," it said.
"Lazio's fans are not racist and they must not be associated
with the handful of individuals who seriously damage the club's
image".
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