ROME (Reuters) – Lazio stated they “can’t settle for a gratuitous insult” to their “total fanbase” after the French inside ministry banned the Italian membership’s travelling supporters from attending the Europa League sport towards Olympique Marseille resulting from issues over violence and fascist chanting.
The 2 golf equipment meet within the French metropolis on Thursday, two weeks after a 0-0 attract Rome that Marseille followers have been barred from travelling to.
On Monday, France’s inside ministry banned “any individual claiming to be a supporter of Lazio or behaving as such” from travelling to the municipality of Marseille.
It cited “violent behaviour of some followers in a recurrent means across the stadiums and in metropolis centres”, in addition to “repeated interpretation of fascist chants and Nazi salutes” as its justification.
Lazio stated in a press release that the choice for followers to be stopped from travelling was “not a shock” after Marseille’s followers weren’t allowed to go to Italy, however responded strongly to the French ministry’s feedback.
“What’s astonishing is the strategy of utility of the order on a nationwide scale and its unjustifiable motivations,” learn a word on the Italian membership’s web site.
“Lazio can’t settle for a gratuitous insult to its total fanbase and the membership itself, which has all the time fought towards violence and each kind of discrimination inside and outdoors the stadium.”
A bit of Lazio followers have beforehand been punished by European governing physique UEFA for fascist salutes and racist chants, together with after a Europa League sport towards French facet Rennes in Oct. 2019.
There was violence within the Marseille stadium throughout a sport towards Turkish facet Galatasaray on Sept. 30, when play was stopped for round eight minutes after projectiles have been thrown by each units of followers and police have been deployed to revive order.
“We’ve seen that violence in stadiums is sadly a widespread and worrying phenomenon, beginning with what occurred just lately at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome,” Lazio’s assertion continued.
“We anticipate a clarification from the French authorities and a transparent stance from our personal diplomatic service in direction of expressions that ought to outrage all Italians, no matter which group they assist.”
(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie, enhancing by Pritha Sarkar)
