SEPP BLATTER HAS slammed the Italian FA for opting not to hold an inquiry into racist chanting at the Serie A game between Milan and Roma.
Milan duo Kevin-Prince Boateng and Mario Balotelli were allegedly subjected to abuse from Roma fans during the 0-0 draw at San Siro, forcing the referee to stop the game briefly in the second half until the visiting supporters calmed down.
The club from the Italian capital have since been fined €50,000 euros for the incident, but the FIFA president has been left stunned by the governing body’s decision not to hold an internal investigation.
He told FIFA’s official website: “I think lessons have not been learned. It is incredible, that we had such incidents especially in the Italian Serie A in the San Siro between AC Milan and Roma, a very important match. The referee had to stop the match for a few minutes in order to bring back calm.
“What is surprising and is not understandable for me, is that the Disciplinary Committee of the Italian Football Federation has taken a decision, not even 24 hours after the event, by just imposing a fine. They have not made any investigation of what happened.
“To give a pecuniary sanction is not valid, that is not acceptable. You will always find money. What is 50,000 euros for such an incident? I’m not happy and I will call the Italian Federation. That’s not a way to deal with such matters.”
Blatter will hold a meeting of the FIFA Congress in Mauritius on May 30, and hopes that the governing body will come to an agreement on future sanctions to bring racism in football to an end once and for all.
He added: “I think it’s good for us and for the FIFA Congress, when we will present this resolution. In this resolution, there are foreseen sanctions. And these sanctions must be applied all around the world.”
