A fined footballer for blasphemy

The captain of the Italian inter -milano team, the Argentine Lautaro Martinez, was fined after pronouncing a ‘blasphemy expression’ after the match with Juventus Torino on February 16, Serie A, the Italian Football Federation (Figc), quoted by AFP, announced on Tuesday.

Martinez ‘spoke on two lines an insulting expression of a religious character, as evidently appears from the images on television,’ Figc said.

In the statement, Figc recalls that such remarks violates Article 37, paragraph 1 of the Code of Sports Justice of the Italian Federation, and the sanction is suspended for a match.

In the case of Martinez, the sanction was reduced to a fine of 5,000 euros after an understanding between the two parties.

The 2022 world champion initially denied that he had spoken a religious insult after his team’s defeat against Juventus (1-0) in the 25th stage of Serie A. ‘I never said those things. I try to raise my children with respect for religion, I am very disturbed, « says the Argentine striker in February.

This provision of series A regulation was applied in March 2021 to the legendary goalkeeper from Juventus, Gianluigi Buffon, and in August 2023 against another goalkeeper, that of Frosinone, Stefano Turati.