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Juventus and Fiorentina’s Serie A clash in Turin on Sunday was marred by racist abuse aimed at Juve striker Dusan Vlahovic, leading to a brief suspension of play.
The game was stopped seven minutes in by referee Maurizio Mariani after Fiorentina fans reportedly directed racist chants toward Vlahovic, their former player. A tannoy announcement at Allianz Stadium urged supporters to cease the abuse, and both teams gathered in the centre circle before play resumed.
Vlahovic, a 24-year-old Serbian international, played for Fiorentina from 2018 to 2022 before joining Juventus. Since his transfer, he has often been a target for abuse from sections of Fiorentina supporters. In November 2023, Fiorentina received a suspended one-match ban for discriminatory chants aimed at Juventus players, including Vlahovic.
The interruption overshadowed a key day in Serie A, where Napoli secured a narrow 1-0 win over Venezia to draw level on points with leaders Atalanta. Giacomo Raspadori’s 79th-minute strike, capitalising on a defensive error, was enough to give Napoli their third consecutive victory.
Napoli coach Antonio Conte praised his side’s progress: “Nobody expected us to reach 41 points after 18 matches, but we must keep improving. We’re still developing.”
Inter Milan, who triumphed 3-0 against Cagliari on Saturday, sit third, one point behind Napoli and Atalanta but with a game in hand. Napoli have the chance to take sole leadership of Serie A next weekend against Fiorentina, while Atalanta and Inter face off in the Italian Supercup in Saudi Arabia.
