Dutch club FC Twente has been severely penalized by UEFA in response to racist incidents that occurred during their recent Europa League match against Lazio, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the Italian side.
The game was marred by unacceptable behaviour from a section of Twente fans, who directed racial abuse at Lazio’s Nigerian midfielder, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and his teammate, Loum Tchaouna.
As a result of these disciplinary breaches, UEFA has imposed fines totalling approximately €83,125 on FC Twente.
This includes a €40,000 penalty for the racist chants, a €10,000 fine for an illicit banner, and an additional €33,125 for throwing objects onto the pitch.
Furthermore, parts of Twente’s Grolsch Veste stadium will be closed for their next Europa League home match, affecting around 2,000 seats in the West Stand behind the goal.
UEFA hammer on Twente for Dele-Bashiru racist abuse
UEFA’s investigation was initiated after Lazio formally reported the racial abuse, prompting a thorough examination of the incidents.
In light of these developments, FC Twente has expressed their commitment to addressing the issue.
The club issued a statement on their official website, warning fans against such behaviour in the future.
They confirmed the partial closure of the Vak-P stand, specifically sections 103 to 106, as a consequence of the racist and discriminatory actions.
Looking ahead, Lazio will face Porto in their next Europa League fixture, hoping to focus solely on the game without the distractions of off-field controversies.
Meanwhile, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru is expected to be included in Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda, having recently scored the decisive goal in Nigeria's 1-0 victory over Libya in their last AFCON qualifier in Uyo in October.
