Racist jeers from fans overshadowed the scoreless draw between Serie A football clubs Milan and Roma on Sunday night.
The fans offered the brunt of their racism toward Milan forward Mario Balotelli. Roma fans made "monkey noises," according to the Guardian, on at least three occasions.
Officials twice warned fans over the PA system to quiet their jeers or the match would be suspended. The taunts reached a boiling point in the 48th minute, and referee Gianluca Rocchi suspended the game for 97 seconds before the crowd simmered down.
Balotelli maintained his composure throughout the ordeal, and the only gesture he made to fans was a finger to his lips to quiet them. The game continued and eventually ended in a draw, 0-0.
"People should go to the stadium to see two teams battling each other on the pitch, not this sort of thing, it's a place for the uncivilised," Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri said after the match. "Above all, the culture in Italy is backward - tonight we had racism, laser beams flashed in the eyes of players and an interrupted match."
Sunday's incident wasn't a first. Balotelli has been subject to racism in the last few weeks from Juventus and Fiorentina fans. Despite the Italian football league's determination to crack down on unruly fans with team fines and threats of game stoppage, nothing seems to work.
"Stopping the game doesn't work, it's a happy medium and like all happy mediums, it doesn't do any good," Allegri said.
Sunday's game also featured two ejections. Milan's Sulley Muntari was ejected after protesting a yellow card to Balotelli. Muntari continued to argue and, when the referee went to throw a red card, Muntari grabbed the ref's arms to stop him. Eventually they were separated and Muntari was ejected.
Roma captain Francesco Totti was also ejected late in the game for elbowing his former teammate Phillippe Mexes.
Milan can secure third-place in Serie A and a potential spot in next year's Champions League with a win next week at Siena. Roma must beat Lazio in two weeks at the Coppa Italia final in order to play in Europe next season.
