Disciplinary decision by Serie A judge

Serie A sporting judge Gerardo Mastrandrea imposed a 10,000-euro fine on Juventus on Tuesday, 22 September 2026. The financial penalty followed an incident before the club's 2-0 league win over Atalanta on Sunday, 20 September 2026, in Turin. The Italian Football Federation had mandated a minute of silence across all Serie A fixtures over the weekend in memory of Sandro Mazzola, the former Inter Milan and Italy national team forward who died on Friday, 18 September 2026, at the age of 83. Ahead of kickoff, a small percentage of supporters located in the first tier of the South Stand (tribuna Sud primo anello) refused to observe the tribute. These supporters turned their backs on the pitch and chanted songs honoring former Juventus figures, including Gaetano Scirea, Andrea Fortunato, and Gianni Agnelli.

Mitigating factors and stadium closure avoidance

Juventus had faced the risk of a partial stadium closure affecting the South Stand for its next match, as well as fines previously estimated at up to 50,000 euros. However, sporting judge Mastrandrea determined that mitigating circumstances warranted reducing the sanction strictly to a 10,000-euro fine without any sector closures or behind-closed-doors orders. The disciplinary ruling cited two specific actions that lowered the severity of the sanction. First, the majority of spectators across the stadium, including both home supporters and visiting Atalanta fans, dissociated themselves from the demonstration by applauding to drown out the chants. Second, Juventus management released an official statement shortly after the match ended on Sunday, condemning the conduct of the supporters involved.

“The sanction was mitigated in light of the club's prompt, formal stance regarding said deplorable behavior, as well as the fact that the rest of the crowd present at the stadium dissociated themselves from it.”

Executive attendance at Mazzola's funeral

The disciplinary ruling followed a sequence of events rooted in the intense rivalry between Juventus and Inter Milan. On Monday, 21 September 2026, funeral services for Mazzola took place at the Sant'Ambrogio Basilica in Milan. Juventus chief executive officer Giovanni Carnevali and director of sport Ricky Massara travelled to Milan to represent the club at the church. Inter Milan supporters gathered outside the basilica greeted Carnevali and Massara with applause as they arrived, acknowledging the club's swift dissociation from the stadium disruption.

Reactions from Italian sports figures

The behavior of the fans in Turin drew critical reactions from notable figures across Italian sport. Former tennis player Adriano Panatta condemned the actions during an appearance on the Rai television programme La Domenica Sportiva, stating that the disruption exceeded bad manners and reflected a complete absence of culture. Panatta urged authorities to identify the individual perpetrators and issue lifetime stadium bans (Daspo) rather than temporary suspensions.

“This group of fans made me ashamed to be Italian.”

Former midfielder Marco Tardelli, who played for both Juventus and Inter Milan and won the 1982 World Cup with Italy, expressed dismay in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. Tardelli stated that Italian football must teach history and the legacy of figures like Mazzola in youth academies to counter growing ignorance. Tardelli also criticized supporters for invoking former defender Gaetano Scirea during their protest, noting that Scirea built his career on respect and asking fans to leave his name out of such demonstrations.