By Andrew Warshaw
June 12 – UEFA is to investigate yet more alleged instances of racist behaviour at the 2012 European Championship, this time during the group match between Spain and Italy.
UEFA has been told that fans abused Manchester City and Italy striker Mario Balotelli (pictured above) while further information has been received over Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie’s (pictured below) assertion that chants were directed at him by Russian supporters.
“Following the provision of new independent information today, regarding the two cases of alleged racist chanting in the Spain-Italy and Russia-Czech Republic matches, UEFA is now conducting further investigations,” a statement said.
The admission by a Spanish fans’ group that some of their supporters racially abused Balotelli during Sunday’s (June 10) game was apparently sent to UEFA by an anti-racism network.
Thomas Herzog, spokesman for the Football Supporters Europe Fans’ Embassy team for Spanish supporters, said in a statement that around “200 supporters started monkey chants when the Italian player Mario Balotelli touched the ball”.
He added: “We’re glad to report that the majority of Spanish supporters reacted in a very positive way, because many of them tried to intervene very quickly and stop the fans in question from singing.
“We are clearly angry about this small section of Spanish supporters showing this kind of racist behaviour.
“But we have to stress that most of the Spanish supporters inside the stand were very aware of this issue and tried their best to intervene.”
UEFA yesterday wrote to the Mayors of all Polish and Ukrainian cities hosting Euro 2012 training sessions to ask for an increased police presence.
Members of the Netherlands squad complained of hearing monkey noises at Wisła Kraków’s stadium last week when tens of thousands of people turned up to watch.
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