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Published 22:59 IST, September 23rd 2019

FIFA president says racism in Italian football is a serious issue

FIFA's president, Gianni Infantino, advised the concerned authorities in Italian football to ban the entry of any individual guilty of hurling racial comments

Reported by: Ruchit Rastogi
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FIFA's current president, Gianni Infantino, advised the concerned authorities in Italian football to ban the entry of any individual guilty of hurling racial comments after another incident of racism that took place in a match between Fiorentina and Atalanta on September 22. Infantino said that the issue of racism can be tackled with proper rules, education, and intolerance towards any form of racism.

Racism a "serious" issue 

The match was halted for a few minutes after Fiorentina's defender, Henrique Dalbert apparently told the match referee that he was racially abused by the fans of Atalanta at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma. The match referee ordered notice to be read out on the stadium's loudspeaker after the abuses were evidently made by Atalanta fans towards the Brazilian player.

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Close to the half-hour mark, Dalbert halted and frowned in the direction where the abuses seemed to originate from, and he at that point addressed the referee.

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The warning over the loudspeaker, cautioning the match would not continue until the abuses halted was met with whistles from the group. Atalanta fans have been blamed for being a part of racism before. When the group quietened down, the match continued following a break of a few minutes.

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A sensitive issue?

A year ago, Borussia Dortmund striker Michy Batshuayi asked if the UEFA actually cared about tackling the issue of racism after the European football's governing body dismissed his complaint that the Bergamo club's fans hurled racial comments during a Europa League game in Italy. 

Fiorentina manager, Vincenzo Montella, and Atalanta manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, said they didn't hear the derogatory comments made against Henrique Dalbert. Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku and AC Milan's Franck Kessie have likewise been enduring a tough time this season however no club has been rebuffed by the concerned authorities. 

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In England, Manchester United forward Paul Pogba conveyed a compelling message against racial discrimination in the midst of racial abuses from fans in the English Premier League. 

The French national was exposed to racial abuses on various events in England as he played for Manchester United. Aside from Paul Pogba, other African and non-white players are additionally exposed to racial segregation from the threatening English groups.

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18:17 IST, September 23rd 2019