Atalanta was asked to close a part of their stadium where hardcore fans hurled abuse at Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic when both clubs met in the league earlier.
La Dea agreed to close that section of the stadium in their last game instead of appealing the decision as Juventus did when they served a similar punishment earlier in the season.
However, Football Italia reveals there was an interesting banner by the fans on the ground during their game against Hellas Verona.
The banner was placed in front of the closed section and read: ‘In this sick football world, those who believe in an ideal will always be condemned.’
It is an interesting read and it remains unclear why La Dea would allow their fans to publish such a message, which is quite frankly, confusing.
Juve FC Says
It is good Atalanta fans served the punishment. It might not entirely stop racism in Italian football, but it sends a message to other racist fans that the authorities are closing in on them.
If they do not behave well, they will fall on the wrong side of the law and will be seriously punished for it as well.
We need our players to stay focused on winning every single match we have left and this might require them to ignore the noises from opposing fans during these games.
