Juve Ordered To Play Behind Closed Doors

Mario Balotelli

Italian giants Juventus will have to play a home game behind closed doors after fans racially abused the Internazionale striker Mario Balotelli in Saturday’s 1-1 Serie A draw, the Italian league said yesterday.

The 18-year-old scored Inter’s opener in the top-of-the-table match and was subjected to chants of “a black Italian does not exist” from sections of the Juve crowd in Turin.

Balotelli, an Italy Under-21 international, was born in Palermo but is of Ghanaian descent. Racist abuse is not uncommon in Italian football, but the seriousness of these incidents has prompted the authorities to come down heavily on Juve.

The Italian FA decided to make the Bianconeri play one home match behind closed doors as punishment. However, the club have decided to lodge an appeal against this decision.

Here is what a club statement on Juve’s official website said:

“The sporting judge has condemned Juventus to play the league match against Lecce of 3 May behind closed doors due to the alleged chants directed at Inter player Mario Balotelli. The club, after taking the sentence into account, has decided to make an appeal.”

Posted on April 21, 2009 | Filed Under Football