Hellas Verona were ordered to play their next home match with part of their stands empty following racist chants and anti-territorial insults during a game against Napoli.
The chants directed at Napoli players Kalidou Koulibaly and Victor Osimhen — who are both Black — came during a 2-1 loss for Verona on Sunday. Osimhen scored twice in the game.
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The night before the match, Verona supporters put up a banner near the Bentegodi stadium with Naples’ GPS coordinates and the Russian and Ukrainian flags — an apparent suggestion to bomb the southern city.
The banner was signed by the “Curva Sud” — the end of the stadium where Verona’s hard-core “ultra” fans sit — which is now suspended for a game.
Verona fans have been involved in numerous racist incidents and the Serie A judge said Tuesday that the latest infraction did not warrant leniency because of “the gravity of the facts.”
The partial stadium ban will take effect for Verona’s game against Genoa on April 3.
