UEFA president Michel Platini on Monday condemned Croatia
fans who racially abused Italy's Mario Balotelli and said he had
travelled to the Balkan country last year to warn the authorities there
about the problem.
"I'm not happy for Croatia. I was in
Croatia a year ago and I'm not happy. They have a good team which plays
well but it's unacceptable when you've got a hundred or so arseholes
among the crowd," he told reporters in Warsaw.
Croatia's football
federation are facing a possible stiff penalty after a UEFA-baced racism
monitoring group reported that up to 500 Croatia fans taunted Balotelli
throughout their Euro 2012 Group C match last Thursday.
An AFP
photographer positioned in front of the fans at the stadium in Poznan,
western Poland, also reported seeing a steward picking up a banana from
the pitch.
Platini said that during his trip to Croatia, the
country's football authorities were warned about the possibility of
racist fans at Euro 2012.
"They (the Croatian federation) knew (that it could happen)," he added.
"Any form of racism is a problem. One case is too many."
The
case is the first for racism at Euro 2012, which is being held in
Poland and Ukraine, and will be eyed closely given Platini's previous
assertions that European football's governing body has a "zero
tolerance" on the issue.
The disciplinary committee is expected to give its ruling on Tuesday
Monday, June 18, 2012
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