UEFA has fined Dutch side FC Twente €83,125 due to multiple disciplinary breaches, including racist abuse directed toward Lazio players during a recent Europa League match, Soccernet.ng reports.
Twente fans allegedly targeted Lazio’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and his teammate Loum Tchaouna with racist chants from the stadium’s Vak-P section, which sparked UEFA’s investigation and subsequent sanctions.
The match where Twente fell 2-0 to Lazio led to the governing body’s decision to partially close Twente’s Grolsch Veste stadium for the next Europa League home game, specifically affecting 2,000 seats in the West Stand behind the goal.
“This is one of the punishments FC Twente received following the behaviour of supporters during the European match against SS Lazio. This morning it was announced that following racist and discriminatory statements, part of the Vak-P stand must remain closed. UEFA has designated sections 103 to 106 as part of the stand that must remain empty.” the club's statement reads.
Alongside the partial closure, UEFA’s disciplinary board levied a €40,000 fine for the racist chants, €10,000 for an illicit banner, and an additional €33,125 for throwing objects during the match.
Stadium bans are also planned for those involved in object-throwing incidents, which reinforced Twente’s zero-tolerance policy towards misconduct.
After the clash against Twente, Lazio faces Porto in their next Europa League clash, and will be aiming to make an impact without any distraction.
