Juventus fined €10,000 after fans disrupt minute of silence for Sandro Mazzola
The Serie A sporting judge has fined Juventus €10,000 after a section of the club's supporters failed to observe a minute of silence in memory of Sandro Mazzola. The sanction, announced by judge Gerardo Mastrandrea on Tuesday, relates to the incident that occurred before the Juventus–Atalanta match on September 20, 2026 at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
The FIGC had ordered the silence to honor Mazzola, the Inter Milan and Italy legend who died on September 19 at the age of 83. Instead of observing the tribute, supporters in the Tribuna Sud, first tier, turned their backs to the pitch and chanted the names of Juventus figures such as Gaetano Scirea, Andrea Fortunato and Gianni Agnelli.
Reduced penalty for club's swift response
The judge described the fine as an "attenuated sanction." The decision took into account two factors: the club's immediate formal condemnation of the behavior, and the fact that the majority of the 40,000 spectators in the stadium observed the silence and distanced themselves from the disruption.
Juventus issued a statement titled "Rispetto e sportività" in which it declared that "no rivalry can justify a lack of respect during a minute of silence." The club said honoring the memory of a deceased figure represents a shared responsibility that transcends team loyalties.
FIGC president: do not generalize for a few
Giovanni Malagò, president of the Italian Football Federation, commented on the penalty during an event in Rapallo. He argued that the actions of a small number of people should not be used to judge an entire club or stadium.
"For a few, there cannot be a discourse that involves an entire society, an entire stadium," Malagò said, according to ANSA. "I think that on this episode there was a very strong reaction from the vast majority of those present."
Malagò added that such incidents occur in other contexts, such as schools, and that one should not generalize when, out of 40,000 people, there are 30, 20 or 50 who disrupt.
Why Mazzola's memory carries weight
Sandro Mazzola was a pivotal figure in Italian football. The son of Valentino Mazzola, captain of the Grande Torino team killed in the 1949 Superga tragedy, he spent his entire 17-season professional career with Inter. He helped the club win four Serie A titles and two European Cups during the 1960s. He was part of the Italy squad that won the 1968 European Nations Cup.
The FIGC inducted him into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2014, and Inter Milan honored him in its own Hall of Fame in 2022.
The fine imposed on Juventus aligns with standard Serie A disciplinary measures for fan misconduct during official tributes. While financial penalties are common for such offenses, stadium closures or point deductions are reserved for more severe or repeated violations.
