Fascist ultras at the Olimpico upset Christophe Franken

The Nations League match pitting the Red Devils against the Azzurri ended with a 0‑2 victory for Italy, but the stay in Rome was marred by the reprehensible behaviour of a fringe of fascist ultras in the stands of the Olimpico stadium, vigorously denounced by journalist Christophe Franken.

Against Italy, the Red Devils saw their sporting performance applauded by their supporters, while the Azzurri displayed a tactical debacle on their own pitch. Beyond the result, it was the attitude of a few supporters that dominated the headlines.

Booing of the UEFA protocol

Before kickoff, observers spotted a noisy group that booed the anti‑racism announcement broadcast by UEFA in every stadium. This reaction was perceived as an intolerable affront to the universal values of sport.

A few minutes later, during the presentation of the two national teams, the same individuals whistled the Brabançonne, the Belgian anthem, before being drowned out by the applause of the rest of the Roman crowd, visibly embarrassed.

Steven Defour says Nations League overloads Red Devils

The editorialist of La Dernière Heure explained that these troublemakers were affiliated with Lazio, recalling that they had only shown their joy once, on Friday evening, at the entry onto the field of Davide Frattesi, the only Lazio‑linked player in the Italian squad.

The Belgian press demands a cleaning of the stands

Christophe Franken, in the columns of La Dernière Heure, launched a resonant outcry, describing the behaviour as abject and calling on Italy to “clean its stands of this noisy, disruptive and shameful minority” in order to restore its four stars.

After the final whistle, a clash between Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Belgian‑Congolese Romelu Lukaku punctuated the evening, reminding of the need for increased firmness to eradicate these outbursts in European arenas.