A fan who wore a jersey referencing Adolf Hitler to a soccer match in Rome has been banned by city authorities and faces jail time.
The fan of the Rome-based Lazio soccer club was banned after he wore a shirt bearing the name “Hitlerson” and the number 88 – a neo-Nazi symbol for “Heil Hitler” – to a game on Sunday at Rome’s Olympic Stadium, the Daily Mail reported.
The fan was charged under the 1993 Mancino law that bans gestures, actions and slogans promoting fascism or Nazism. An investigation was opened by police after the game using video footage to identify the man, who is a German national, Italian news site ANSA reported.
The suspect faces up to 18 months in prison and a maximum fine of $6,500.
During the match between Lazio and Roma, a number of Lazio fans began singing antisemitic chants at Roma supporters, including insulting them for “praying in the synagogue.” The incident is also being looked into by Roman authorities.
The president of the Jewish community of Rome, Ruth Dureghello, denounced the behavior in a statement.
“An entire stand chanting antisemitic chants, a ‘fan’ in the stands wearing a Hitlerson jersey and the number 88, and we, as always, the only ones outraged and protesting,” she wrote in a social media post.