Italy’s far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has mocked new rules aimed at combating racism in football. The Italian football federation (FIGC) said on Wednesday that players would be told to leave the pitch if two warnings over the public address failed to stop racist chanting during matches. Three appeals were made over the PA system to stop the chants but the abuse continued throughout the match. I’m convinced that if the referee calls players to the centre of the pitch, maybe [the racism] will stop. Italian football hooligans, knowns as ultras, tend to be well-organised, extremely violent and racist.

Source: The Guardian January 31, 2019 12:23 UTC