Valencia fined €45k and handed a partial stadium closure for racism against Vinicius

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Valencia has been fined €45,000 and will have to close the stand where Vinicius Jr was racially abused for five games following a ruling by the Spanish FA (RFEF) This is coming after the Spanish police announced that they’ve detained three people in connection with the abuse directed at the Brazilian at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday, May 21.  Valencia fined €45k and handed a partial stadium closure for racism against Vinicius Vinicius Jr during a match against Valencia. Source: Getty Valencia’s south stand will be closed and the club has 10 working days to appeal. The RFEF said in a statement; “The Competition Committee has sanctioned Valencia CF with the partial closure of the Mestalla stadium for five matches, more specifically the Mario Kempes south stand, following the events that occurred during the match between the home team and Real Madrid CF. “It is considered proven that, as reflected by the referee in his minutes, there were racist shouts at Vinicius, a Real Madrid CF player, during the aforementioned match, altering the normal course of the match and considering the infractions very serious. In addition, an economic sanction of 45,000 euros is imposed on Valencia. Valencia fined €45k and handed a partial stadium closure for racism against Vinicius Vinicius Jr. identifies fans that racially abused him. Source: Getty “It is possible to file an appeal, within 10 working days, before the Appeals Committee.” Vinicius has been the target of racist abuse multiple times this season and the latest incident has seen him receive support from the footballing world. Before the recent sanction, there has been widespread condemnation of how the incident has been handled, including from the Brazilian government.

Lazio slammed with partial stadium ban for racist chants at Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda

Lazio slammed with partial stadium ban for racist chants at Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda

Barely 48 hours after Samuel Umtiti left the pitch in tears following the racist chants he and Lameck Banda were subjected to by Lazio fans during a match against Leece, the Italian club has been handed a partial stadium ban.
Lazio slammed with partial stadium ban for racist chants at Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda
Umtiti left the pitch in tears after Lecce came from behind to pick up an impressive 2-1 win over Lazio.
Lecce’s win was however overshadowed by appalling racism from the away end, who targeted Umtiti and Zambia international striker Lameck Banda. With the home supporters rallying to chant Umtiti’s name, the center-back left the pitch in tears.
Lecce did their best to support Umtiti, who joined the club on loan from Barcelona in the summer following a tough period in his career after winning the 2018 World Cup with France. Lecce tweeted: “Racist chants have been overwhelmed by songs of encouragement! All the yellow and red Lecce fans started shouting one name: Umtiti.”

Lazio slammed with partial stadium ban for racist chants at Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda

After the game, Umtiti took to Instagram, writing: “Great win #forzalecce” alongside a picture of him celebrating. He received plenty of replies, with Lyon pair Jerome Boateng and Alexandre Lacazette, Reading defender Naby Sarr and his Lecce teammate Strefezza all sending supportive messages.
The racist abuse also prompted an Instagram post from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “Solidarity with Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda – let’s shout it loud and clear: NO TO RACISM!” he wrote.
Following the reactions to the racist chants, Italian authorities have now handed Lazio a partial stadium ban for their next match at the Stadio Olimpico.

Lazio slammed with partial stadium ban for racist chants at Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda

Lazio has been hit with sanctions by the authorities on several occasions because of the discriminatory behavior of their supporters. The club based in Rome will serve their new ban on Sunday when they take on Empoli at home in Serie A.