Lazio were hit with a partial stadium closure for racist chants directed at Romelu Lukaku during their Coppa Italia win over crosstown rivals Roma on Wednesday. Therefore, the will have four sectors of the Stadio Olimpico closed for their Serie A game against Napoli on January 28.
The Italian Cup derby was one of the most heated games of the season, with both teams getting punishments for their fans and players’ behavior. Apart from racially abusing Lukaku with racist chants every time he touched the ball, Lazio fans hit Roma’s Edoardo Bove with a beer bottle as they also threw flares onto the field and into the Roma fans sector.
That cost Lazio a suspended $55,000 fine, whereas Roma were hit with a $16,500 fine as they fans threw things back to the opposing team’s supporters. And the chaos also occured on the field, even after the final whistle.
Heated Lazio-Roma derby sees three red cards, monetary fines
The fact that three players saw the red card should be enough to explain how heated this clash was. The derby got heated by the end of the game, with Maurizio Sarri’s team heading towards a 1-0 win thanks to Mattia Zaccagni’s penalty after 51′.
Felipe Anderson of SS Lazio is held back by Gianluca Mancini of AS Roma and Leandro Paredes of AS Roma during the Coppa Italia match between SS Lazio and AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico on January 10, 2024 in Rome, Italy.
Lazio winger Pedro was the first to be sent off after six minutes of stoppage time, having seen a yellow card only a minute earlier. But there was room for more red cards. 10 minutes into added time, Sardar Azmoun left Roma down to 10 men as he slapped Nicolo Rovella on the back of the head.
see also
Paulo Dybala reveals Jose Mourinho"s reaction after Lionel Messi and Argentina won the World Cup
The referee blew the final whistle, but that didn’t prevent Gianluca Mancini from seeing the red card as well. The Roma defender has allegedly insulted the official, telling his teammates not to shake hands with him, before waiting outside the referee’s dressing room to continue with his rant.
Mancini was handed a three-match ban as well as a $11,000 fine; whereas Azmoun was given a two-game suspension, with Pedro getting a one-game ban. The Roma players will serve the suspension in the next Coppa Italia, while the Lazio winger will miss the first leg of the semifinals against Juventus.
