Atalanta fined €10,000 for racist abuse of Fiorentina’s Dalbert

The Serie A club has been forced to pay a relatively small fee following the discriminatory chants in a recent game

Atalanta has been fined €10,000 (£8,956/$10,955.85) for racist abuse directed toward Fiorentina defender Dalbert during a match on September 22.

Midway through the first half in the Serie A game at Stadio Ennio Tardini, referee Daniele Orsato signalled for the match to be stopped after Dalbert indicated he’d heard abuse from the home fans.

The game was immediately brought to a halt as an announcement was read over the stadium’s PA speaker calling on fans to stop any and all abuse of the defender. 

Those announcements, however, were drowned out by boos and whistles from the Atalanta supporters. 

As a result, a sports judge has opted to fine Atalanta for the incident.

In the same disciplinary report, the league announced that  Roma were also fined €15,000 (£13,444/$16,426) after a member of the fitness staff applauded in a referee’s face with an “aggressive attitude” while Roma boss Paulo Fonseca has received a two-game touchline ban in Serie A after insulting the referee.

Additionally, Juventus were fined €10,000 after fans pointed a laser towards players and officials on the pitch.

The most recent incident is just the latest of several high-profile accounts of racist abuse in Italy this season.

Inter forward Romelu Lukaku was also the subject of alleged racist abuse in a game at Cagliari earlier this month, and when the Belgian stepped up to take a penalty, supporters directed monkey chants toward the striker.

Cagliari, a club that had previsously been at the center of racist incindents involving Pescara’s Sulley Muntari, Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi and former Juve forward Moise Kean, received no punishment for the incident after the chants could not be proven to be discriminatory.

Milan’s Franck Kessie was also allegedly subjected to racist chants from Hellas Verona fans earlier this year, although the club issued a defiant statement on Twitter insisting that their fans had not racially abused the midfielder. 

Milan has since announced that they would be launching an anti-racism task force to tackle discrimination in Italian football.

Currently on break for international fixtures, Atalanta will face Lazio in their return to Serie A play while Fiorentina are set to visit Brescia when club football resumes.

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