Atalanta Charged by UEFA After Alleged Racist Taunts Directed at Michy Batshuayi
Italian football club Atalanta have officially been charged by UEFA after their fans reportedly aimed racist taunts at Borussia Dortmund forward Michy Batshuayi during their Europa League meeting.
According to the Independent, the governing body of European football announced it has opened proceedings against the club from Bergamo on Monday.
After the second leg of their tie, which ended in a 1-1 draw and saw the German club qualify for the next round, Batshuayi took to Twitter to accuse a section of the Atalanta fans of racially abusing him:
He emphasised the taunts came from a minority of fans when he learned about UEFA's charge:
Per Football Italia, Atalanta President Antonio Percassi told Sky Sport Italia he didn't hear the taunts, but he also apologised to the Chelsea loanee, saying these taunts should ''never happen.''
The Football Italia report also noted Atalanta have already been punished for similar abuse earlier this season when they were fined and forced to close a stand after Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly was the target.
UEFA confirmed they have charged both clubs, with Dortmund fans setting off fireworks and throwing objects in the stadium. A decision on the charges will be made on March 22, per the Independent.
