Atalanta fined for fans Dalbert racist abuse

Milan (AFP) – Atalanta were fined 10,000 euros ($11,000) by the Italian league on Tuesday for racist abuse by their fans aimed at Fiorentina defender Dalbert during a Serie A match last month.

Italian football federation (FIGC) sports judge Gerardo Mastrandrea imposed the fine based on Dalbert’s evidence, adding that the chants had not been “clearly heard” by officials at the game.

The 26-year-old Brazilian asked the referee to halt play because of the abuse half an hour into the game on September 22 at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma.

Play was suspended for three minutes while a warning was broadcast to jeers and whistles from a section of the crowd, before play resumed. Fiorentina won the match, 1-0.

The next day, during The FIFA Best Football Awards ceremony in Milan, FIFA president Gianni Infantino responded by urging Italian football to tackle racism.

“This is not acceptable any more, we have to say ‘no’ to racism in society. We have to kick racism out of football and society once and for all,” said Infantino.

The problem is a recurring one in Italian football.

This season Inter Milan’s Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku and AC Milan’s Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessie have been targeted by monkey calls without any sanctions being applied.

Blaise Matuidi, Kalidou Koulibaly and Moise Kean were also victims of racist abuse last season.