sports

Lazio face Uefa probe for racism

Italian giants Lazio were facing punishment after Uefa opened disciplinary proceedings for racist chanting by their fans during a Europa League clash at Sparta Prague.

Thursday's game was held up after racist abuse was aimed at Sparta's Zimbabwe defender Costa Nhamoinesu.

The match, which ended 1-1, was delayed in the first half as appeals were made over the public address system to supporters.

Uefa said in a statement that Lazio have been charged for "racist behaviour" and "illicit chants".

Sparta also face proceedings for an illicit banner and setting off fireworks.

"The case will be dealt with by the Uefa Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on March 22," said the Uefa statement.

In February, Lazio were fined €50,000 euros (RM230,720) and had a two-match partial stadium ban imposed after fans targeted Napoli's Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly with racist monkey chants in a Serie A game. – AFP, March 12, 2016.

Please note that you must sign up with disqus.com before commenting. And, please refrain from comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature and note that comments can be edited, rewritten for clarity or to avoid questionable issues. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments