Fiorentina on Tuesday asked their supporters to avoid racist chants as they prepare for the first leg of their Italian Cup semi-final against Juventus and old boy Dusan Vlahovic.
Wednesday’s match will be the first time Serbia forward Vlahovic returns to Florence since leaving Fiorentina for fierce rivals Juve towards the end of the January transfer window.
In a statement, which didn’t name Vlahovic, Fiorentina invited “fans to support the team with their passion, hearts and extraordinary sense of humour, showing their love for these colours for the whole 90 minutes while avoiding racist and discriminatory chants which have nothing to do with our culture or history”.
Vlahovic was targeted by Atalanta fans with racist chants calling him a “gypsy” in September, insults which left the 22-year-old, then still a Fiorentina player, on the verge of tears during his post-match interview having just scored twice in a 2-1 win.