Racial abuse is a vice Serie A is doing away with. Roma has handed a lifetime ban to a supporter who racially abused Brazilian defender Juan Jesus on social media.
Roma defender Juan Jesus received racist messages on Instagram. His club took to Twitter to announce they had banned the abuser and reported him to the police.
The club posted screenshots of the user’s Instagram account and the messages on their official Twitter account.
They vowed to prevent the person responsible from ever attending a Roma match again. They also confirmed they reported the user to the police and Instagram.
The fans gave plenty of appreciation to the club’s tweet on social media.
This act came after anti-discriminatory body Fare said, Italian football authorities and their disciplinary systems to combat racism were not fit for purpose.
Fare executive director Piara Powar added “the rot is deep” and “no one is taking the issue seriously.” But Serie A insisted it was “seriously and constantly engaged in activities against racism.”
AC Milan launched an anti-racism task force at last weekend’s derby against Inter. This christened the “Derby Against Racism,” in response to recent racist incidents.
Inter striker Romelu Lukaku was a subject to monkey chants in Cagliari during a Serie A game. However, Cagliari was cleared of racist chanting.
Italian football has encountered plagued by incidents of racial abuse in recent years. Majority have praised Roma for their strong stance in the incidence.
Meanwhile, FIFA boss, Gianni Infantino said, this week, the Italian clubs should start issuing stadium bans to supporters found guilty of racism.