Italian club fined for fans ‘Napoli coronavirus’ chant

FILE – Brescia fans cheer during the Italian Serie A football match Brescia vs Fiorentina on October 21, 2019 at the Mario-Rigamonti stadium in Brescia. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)

Italian club Brescia has been fined 10,000 euros ($10,800) for fans chanting “Napoli coronavirus” at supporters of their league rivals, the Lega Serie A announced on Tuesday.

The Italian league’s disciplinary commission fined the northerners for “vulgar, insulting and repeated chants from its supporters against those of the opposing team” in last Friday’s game which Napoli won 2-1.

More than 332 people have been infected and 10 have died in Italy after contracting the new coronavirus which had until Tuesday been confined to the north of the country.

Brescia’s hard-core ultra fans apologized in a statement.

“We realize that we have made a mistake since our country is facing the possible development of this disease and we apologize to the Italian families involved,” it read.