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Italian club AS Roma bans 16 fans over racist abuse
16th September, 2026 01:46 PM
Sixteen AS Roma fans have been banned from stadiums across Italy after performing the stiff-armed fascist salute during a Serie A home game against Atalanta, Rome police said in a statement on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
The bans range from one to five years and also apply to AS Roma matches played abroad and national soccer team fixtures, police said. Four of the supporters will also have to report to police during AS Roma matches, they added.
Hardcore supporters
The fascist-style salute was made by fans in the Curva Sud section, home to hardcore supporters, during a September 5 evening match which AS Roma won 2-1 with two last-gasp goals from Mario Hermoso and Matias Soule.
Displays of far-right sentiment are not uncommon in Italian soccer among groups of hardline fans known as ultras. Prosecutors have also linked some ultras to organised crime and far-right extremist networks.
The fascist salute is not explicitly banned in all circumstances in Italy, and courts assess the gesture on a case-by-case basis. It can be prosecuted under laws banning the revival of the fascist party and the incitement of racial hatred.
Ronaldo condemns abuse targeted at Joao Neves
This comes days after Cristiano Ronaldo said that fans who appeared to make chants referencing his former teammate Diogo Jota at Rúben Neves during a Saudi Pro League match should be banned for life from football stadiums.
The chants occurred on Saturday during a fixture between Al-Taawoun and Neves’s side, Al Hilal, in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
The former Liverpool and Portugal winger died last year in a car crash in Zamora, north-western Spain, along with his brother André Silva.
A close friend of Jota, Neves was a pallbearer at his funeral.
Following the incident, the pformer EPL star was seen pointing upwards towards the sky while telling the fans: “God sees you.”
The midfielder did not discuss the confrontation at length after the final whistle. However, when asked about the incident while passing the media, he delivered a brief but strongly worded response.
