Zagreb fans involved in three racist incidents, say FARE

BERNE (Reuters) - Supporters of Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb were involved in three episodes of discriminatory and racist behaviour in July, the European supporters' group FARE said Tuesday.

Fans of Hungarian club Gyor were reported over anti-Semitic behaviour when their team faced Israeli opposition, while Honved supporters, also from Hungary, repeatedly targeted a Cameroonian player with monkey chants in another game, FARE said.

FARE said that a total of 14 incidents of "racism, xenophobia, extreme nationalism or homophobia", almost all involving Eastern European fans, were reported to them through eye-witness or media accounts.

"This list is only likely to reflect a proportion of the incidents that occurred," it said, adding that the incidents at matches in European club competition had been reported to UEFA.

Dinamo Zagreb fan group 'the Bad Blue Boys' were reported over "homophobic and racist" chanting during a domestic match against Osijek, a Champions League qualifier against Fola Esch and another against Sheriff Tiraspol.

Some of the chanting targeted club director Zdravko Mamic and the Croatian Football Federation, FARE said.

UEFA later fined the club 25,000 euros (£21,472) and ordered a partial closure of the east stand for their next European match following the incident against Luxemburg's Fola.

Gyor fans "targeted the opposition players and supporters with anti-Semitic chants" at their Champions League qualifier at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv on July 17, FARE reported.

The Europa League match the following day between Serbia's Vojvodina and Honved was marred by behaviour of the visiting Hungarian fans.

"The Vojvodina Cameroonian player Aboubakar Oumarouin was targeted with monkey chants from the Honved supporters throughout the match," said FARE.

"Homophobic slogans aimed at the Vojvodina players were also chanted by the supporters of the Hungarian club."

Similarly, Qarabag's Congolese player Ulrich Kapolongo was targeted by monkey noises and racist chanting when the Azerbaijani team visited Poland's Piast Gliwice for a Europa League qualifier.

Slash Wroclaw and Legia Warsaw, two other Polish sides, were also reported because their fans displayed banners which contained far right propaganda and symbols.

FARE's list also included the pre-season friendly between AC Milan and Sassuolo in Italy, where Milan's Guinean player Kevin Constant walked off the pitch in protest at alleged racist chanting.

(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by Patrick Johnston)


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