The specter of racism returns to shame Italian football. It happened during Fiorentina-Juventus, Vlahovic the victim. This is why Doveri suspended the match
The usual shameful accoutrements, but this time the protagonists didn’t look the other way. The specter of racism in the Italian championship has returned to Florence, with Dusan Vlahovic the victim, referred to as a “gypsy” by the Fiorentina fans crowded into the Curva Ferrovia. Chants that did not escape the players on the pitch and which pushed the referee Doveri to intervene, activating the protocol established by the FIGC and which also provides for the possibility of definitive suspension of the match.
It happened a few minutes after kick-off. Juventus captain Locatelli approached Doveri reporting the discriminatory chant. The race director asked the fourth official Marchetti to arrange for the speaker to make the first message with the request not to continue with the behavior. In the 15th minute, however, with Vlahovic ready to kick a penalty which was later revoked following intervention by the VAR, the chorus was repeated, forcing Doveri to suspend the match for a minute by gathering the players in the center of the pitch. New announcement from the speaker and ultimatum because the protocol provides for a definitive stop in the event of a third recurrence.
Also for this reason the Fiorentina captain Ranieri went under the Viola’s curve asking to put an end to the matter. Shameful scenes that quickly made the rounds on the web, re-proposing the problem of racism in Italian football. For Vlahovic this is nothing new: the Serbian striker has often been targeted in Florence, where the fans have not forgiven him for moving to Juventus, and also elsewhere such as Bergamo.
