- Former Pakistan captain Azam dropped for second England Test
- 'Opportunist' Dupont dazzles on Toulouse return
- Australia replace injured Vlaeminck with Graham at Women's T20 World Cup
- Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Israel hits Lebanon from the air and fights Hezbollah on the ground
- China's Yin has 'goosebumps' as she romps to LPGA win in Shanghai
- Pakistan to re-use Multan pitch for second England Test
- Blair and King Charles hail Salmond's 'devotion' to Scotland
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- Israel widens Lebanon strikes as troops fight Hezbollah along border
- Bowlers' graveyards: Pakistan's placid pitches under fresh fire
- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Vietnam, China to expand rail links, cross-border payments
- Americans get their belief back as Pochettino makes his mark
- Vietnam, China to boost economic, defence cooperation
- Winning start for Pochettino's American adventure
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
- US firms brace for more tariffs as election approaches
- Winning start for Poch's American adventure
- Morocco's tribeswomen see facial tattoo tradition fade
- Centre-left set to win as pro-Ukraine Lithuania votes
- Colombia guerilla group urges delegations not to attend COP16 in Cali
- Pakistan frets over security ahead of SCO summit
- Ronaldo scores 133rd Portugal goal in Nations League win over Poland
- 40 nations contributing to UN Lebanon peacekeeping force condemn 'attacks'
- Eight dead as heavy rain thrashes Brazil after long drought
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- Morocco crush Central African Republic, Guirassy scores hat-trick
- Dupont scores quickfire hat-trick on Toulouse Top 14 return
- Ronaldo scores in Portugal's Nations League win as Spain sink Denmark
- Interim boss Carsley has not applied for England job
- Mets hurler Senga ready to take on Dodgers in game one of NL Championship Series
- Ronaldo on target again as Portugal defeat Poland in Nations League
- Guardians rip Tigers 7-3 to advance in MLB playoffs
- AFP, BBC win top French war reporting awards
- Carsley goes back to basics as humbled England face Finland
- Alex Salmond: the man who took Scotland to the brink of independence
- Scotland's former leader Alex Salmond dies aged 69: party
- UN warns of catastrophe as Israel fights a two-front war
- Croatia extend Scotland's losing streak
- South Africa, New Zealand boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes
- 'Very challenging': Israel faces Hezbollah in tricky terrain
- Farrell begins to feel at home as Racing 92 beat Toulon
- South Africa boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes with Bangladesh win
Lazio hit with stand closure after monkey chants at Lukaku
Lazio have been hit with a one-match stand closure after supporters directed monkey chants at Romelu Lukaku during their team's midweek Italian Cup win over local rivals Roma, Serie A said on Friday.
In a statement, Serie A said that the three sections of the Stadio Olimpico where Lazio's hardcore fans stand would be shut for the Roman club's league fixture with Napoli on January 28.
Lazio have been punished for "boorish, insulting and racially discriminatory monkey chanting" directed at Roma forward Lukaku from the Curva Nord and two adjacent sections "whenever he was in possession of the football".
The statement continued that the racist abuse was clearly heard by four Italian Football Federation observers at the match and that they came from "90 percent of the 16,000 fans in those areas of the ground".
Lazio have some of the most right-wing supporters in a country where fascist groups are a widespread phenomenon, including at Roma whose hardcore fans also have a long history of far-right links.
Wednesday's incidents were the latest in a long line involving Lazio, who had been given a suspended one-match stand closure in April last year following anti-Semitic and racist chants during another derby with Roma.
Their supporters also brought France international Samuel Umtiti to tears last January during a match at Lecce.
It's not the first time Lukaku has been targeted by fans in Italy, as he was racially abuse by Juventus fans last season and monkey chanted at by Cagliari supporters in 2019, while still at Inter Milan.
The incident at Cagliari, which went unpunished by authorities, was then followed by Inter's hardcore fans writing an open letter to Lukaku in which they said monkey chants weren't racist.
Lazio were also fined 50,000 euros for supporters breaking through a security cordon separating rivals fans in the stadium and launching "beer and water bottles, flares, fireworks and firecrackers" at the Roma section, whose fans cost their club a 15,000 euro fine for responding in kind.
Home supporters also threw flares and bottles on the pitch during the match, one full beer hitting Roma midfielder Edoardo Bove on the neck after he was substituted in the second half.
The Rome derby is one of Europe's most heated and there were a series of scuffles and police charges before Wednesday's match, while afterwards Lazio fans raided a pub popular with Roma fans near the stadium, stabbing two people during the melee.
L.Davis--AMWN