UEFA Hand Lazio Partial Stadium Ban Following Racist Behaviour From Fans During Europa League Tie

Lazio have been handed a partial stadium ban and fined €20,000 by UEFA after their fans were found guilty of racist behaviour during the recent Europa League clash with Stade Rennais.

The punishment is the first to be implemented since European football's governing body vowed to "wage war on the racists", but is the minimum sanction that can be handed out.

It is not the first that Lazio have been censored by UEFA in this manner, with last season's Europa League clash with Sevilla at the Stadio Olimpico played under the same restrictions after previous instances of racist behaviour from the club's fanbase.

​I Biancocelesti have been fined €20,000 for this particular incident, and ordered to close four sections of their stadium for the upcoming clash against Celtic - which will instead be covered by a banner that will read "#EqualGame".

They have also been handed a suspended sentence that would see Lazio play a future fixture behind closed doors, should there be any more trouble in the stands. That punishment will last 12 months before being expunged from their record.

This incident is the latest in what's fast becoming an epidemic of racist abuse across the world of football. On Monday night, England's players were subjected to vile chanting from Bulgarian supporters during a Euro 2020 qualifying match in Sofia, with Nazi salutes also picked up by television cameras.

Bulgaria have subsequently been charged for their supporters actions, as well as receiving widespread condemnation from the footballing community. The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will decide their punishment in due course, and it's likely that a significant fine, as well as a full stadium ban, will be imposed, given they too had a partial stadium ban already in place.