UEFA 'must act strongly'

UEFA confirmed that they had opened disciplinary proceedings against Lazio for alleged monkey chanting.

The Italian club can expect a fine of 20,000 euros (around £16,000) if their fans are found guilty of racist abuse, but UEFA also have the option of much stronger punishments like forcing the club to play a game behind closed doors.

Piara Powar, executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe, said: "UEFA normally operate a 'three strikes and you're out' policy, and I think Lazio are at first base in that respect.

"But if (UEFA) really want to set the bar high, if they really want to send out a strong message, then I think they can do so regardless of whether it's a first or second offence."

He added: "I therefore think that UEFA could move directly to something like a match behind closed doors (punishment).

"They could suspend that punishment, perhaps, and then if something happens further down the line, then they can trigger that.

"Lazio are a strong club. They have been part of the European football scene for a long time. There needs to be quite a hard symbolic action taken when these instances occur.

"This punishment is one way of waking the club and the fans up to some of the problems that they face."