Lazio charged with racist fan behavior

(CNN) -- Italian club Lazio has been charged over the "alleged racist behavior" of its fans during November's Europa League clash with Tottenham.

Supporters of the Rome side mocked the English team's links with the Jewish community by chanting "Juden Tottenham, Juden Tottenham" ("Tottenham Jews" in German) in the 0-0 draw in the Italian capital.

Tottenham has a large contingent of Jewish supporters, while Lazio has long had fans with right wing sympathies.

"Proceedings will also be instigated against S.S. Lazio for throwing of missiles and/or fireworks by their supporters, incidents of a non-sporting nature, late team arrival at the stadium, and late handling of the team sheet," European football's governing body UEFA said on Monday.

It added that Tottenham also faces charges related to crowd disturbances at the Group J game, which took place 24 hours after a knife attack on its fans in Rome.

Speaking out against racism in football

Boateng: We can't ignore racism

PFA chairman: Serbia should be banned

It is not the first time this season that Lazio supporters have been accused of racism, with the club fined €40,000 (US$52,000) for abuse directed at Tottenham's black players during the clubs' previous meeting in London in September.

The charges, which will be heard on January 24, continue a bad week for the standing of football in Italy, with the country's reputation having also been "damaged" in the eyes of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi after last week's racism walkoff involving AC Milan.

Former Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng made global headlines when he reacted to abusive chanting from a section of Pro Patria fans in a friendly against the fourth tier side by walking off the pitch -- and the entire Milan side followed him.

His actions earned widespread praise, including from Milan owner Berlusconi himself, but FIFA president Sepp Blatter is not among those who believe that Boateng's behavior was a step in the right direction.

"Walk off? That's not the solution," Blatter was reported to have said in Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National.

"I don't think you can run away, because eventually you can run away if you lose a match. This is a very touchy subject, but there is zero tolerance of racism in the stadium."

Despite his credibility on the topic having been damaged in the eyes of many pundits after he told CNN in 2011 that racism could be settled by a handshake, Blatter is now advocating tougher punishments to deal with the issue.

"The only solution is to be very harsh with the sanctions -- and the sanctions must be a deduction of points or something similar," he said on Sunday.

This is the first time that Blatter has publicly suggested a points deduction for clubs whose fans are racially abusive -- a stance which is backed by many figures within the game, including former Arsenal stars Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell.

West Ham have already banned one fan for life after he was cautioned by police for "racially aggravated gesturing" during their match with Tottenham on Sunday. West Ham's fans are also reported to have aired songs about Adolf Hitler. The FA are to investigate. Tottenham won the game 3-1 with Gareth Bale (left) on the scoresheet.

Neither West Ham manager Sam Allardyce (L) or his Tottenham counterpart Andre Villas-Boas were keen to wade into the controversy. Allardyce told reporters at a post match press call: "I don't want to be a political animal -- I'm here to talk about football."

West Ham's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun took to Twitter to express his view of the chants. He said: "I was very disappointed to hear some of the songs yesterday and it was embarrassing. But we need to remember that it was made by a minority group of fans and I'm sure the FA together with West Ham will do everything to find and punish them."

A group of Tottenham fans were attacked before their recent Europa League match with Lazio as they drank in the city center. One supporter is still in hospital suffering from stab wounds. West Ham's fans allegedly made reference to the incident in their chants.

A section of Lazio fans unfurled a "Free Palestine" banner during the 0-0 Europa League draw with Tottenham, which was marred by anti-Semitic chanting from the home supporters. Tottenham traditionally have a strong Jewish following.

Just last week Chelsea's complaint that Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg aimed racist language at midfielder Jon Obi Mikel was dismissed by the Football Association due to a lack of evidence.

Chelsea's John Terry (L) was found not guilty in a criminal court of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand but received a four-match ban from the FA and a $356,000 fine for calling his opponent a "f*****g black c***."

Liverpool's Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez served an eight-match ban in the 2011/12 season for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. Suarez maintained his innocence but Liverpool were heavily criticized for their handling of the case.

West Ham controversy

FA to probe chants

Benayoun disappointed

Rome attack

Anti-Semitic accusation

Clattenburg cleared

Terry charged

Suarez banned

HIDE CAPTION

<<

<

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

>

>>

Hammers vow action on anti-Semitic chants

Sorry Blatter refuses to quit

Sepp Blatter talks racism in football

Two days after Boateng walked off against Pro Patria, racism reared its ugly head again in Italy as some sections of Lazio's crowd were heard making monkey noises at Cagliari's black Colombian striker Victor Ibarbo.

Although many of the crowd inside the Stadio Olimpico for the Serie A league clash jeered and whistled to drown out the racists, the referee was forced to halt play as he spoke to both team captains and ordered a message to be relayed over the PA system to warn fans that continued chanting would result in the game's suspension.

Late last week, former Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf warned that walking off pitches in protest at abusive chanting threatened to "empower" the racist minority.

Should Lazio be found guilty of the charges, pressure will fall on UEFA to take tough sanctions after the body was widely criticized for issuing what was seen as a paltry $105,000 fine to the Serbian FA after an Under-21 match where opposing England players said they were racially abused.

The punishment fell short of the $125,800 fine UEFA handed to Denmark international Nicklas Bendtner for exposing boxer shorts adorned with the logo of an online betting company during the 2012 European Championships.