Lazio condemned the racist chanting heard from their away fans in the defeat to Lecce but did appeal against the closure of the Curva Nord.
A large group of travelling fans at the Stadio Via del Mare racially abused Lecce duo Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda in their Serie A clash on Wednesday, leaving the former in tears and forcing the latter to come off at half time.
The incident was widely condemned in the world of Italian football and the sporting judge announced that the Curva Nord would be closed for Lazio’s game with Empoli on Sunday in response.
Lazio released a statement condemning the incident, calling for an end to racism in the stands.
During the Lecce-Lazio match, the referee was forced to interrupt the game because of racist chants towards a player of the home team.
S.S. Lazio have always opposed all forms of racism and discrimination with all the means at their disposal, putting in place initiatives aimed at repressing these phenomena, raising awareness among their fans on this issue and acting in the appropriate venues to protect their image.
S.S. Lazio also today condemn those who have been the protagonists of this deplorable, shameful and anachronistic gesture and will, as always, offer maximum cooperation to the authorities to identify those responsible.
Lazio fans are not racists and cannot be associated with a few individuals who seriously harm the image of the club.
After much debate, Lazio did decide to appeal against the decision to close the Curva Nord. Not because they contested the reason, but because they felt that it would be unfair to close off a stand of 7000 just because of the actions of around 1000. The club would prefer more targeted punishment at the individuals responsible.
