Lazio

Lazio defender given 20 day ban for racist comments, but will only miss one game

Published Dec. 22, 2016 2:14 p.m. ET

Aaron West

Lazio defender Senad Lulic has been suspended for 20 days and fined €10,000 following racist comments about Roma defender Antonio Rudiger.

The Bosnian made the offensive statements in post-match interviews with television stations following the Derby della Capitale on December 4.

“Rudiger was selling socks and belts in Stuttgart up until two years ago, now he acts like he’s a phenomenon,” said Lulic.

Based on the stereotype of African men as street vendors in Europe, Lulic's comments were not only racist, but wildly inaccurate. Rudiger was born and raised in Germany, and had already become a German international during his time at Stuttgart.

A day after the derby, Lulic apologized on Instagram, saying that he "responded to a provocation with another provocation." Said Lulic, "I come from a country that knows about the tragedies caused by ethnic prejudices. That's why I'm sorry that I got carried away by the post-derby tensions and to have expressed myself in an inopportune manner."

Italy's soccer governing body, the FIGC found the comments to be "damaging and offensive" rather than specifically "racist and discriminatory." Lulic has since worked out a deal to be fined €10,000 and sentenced to a 20-day ban.

However, his ban includes the winter break, so Lulic will only miss one Serie A match against Crotone because the ban was announced one day after Lazio's final match of 2016.

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