Fiorentina draw with Brescia as Inter held

Brescia and Fiorentina failed to reverse poor recent Serie A form with a 1-1 draw yesterday.

The result puts Fiorentina 11th in the 20-team league on 23 points. Relegation-battlers Brescia stayed 17th ahead of today's matches which include leaders Juventus at Cagliari.

Fiorentina went ahead through Italian international striker Fabrizio Miccoli, who broke the offside trap and chipped the advancing keeper in the 50th minute.

Just after the hour-mark, keeper Cristiano Lupatelli spilled a shot by Brescia's Andrea Caracciolo into the path of midfielder Luigi Dipasquale who rolled the ball over the line.

In the evening match, Inter failed to profit from playing with a player more for most of the second half against plucky opponents Reggina who defended grimly for a 0-0 draw.

Following last weekend's remarkable comeback in a 3-2 win over Sampdoria, Inter were favourites to make it four victories in a row but in the end they had to thank their lucky stars for not conceding a goal late in the match and forfeit their unbeaten record when a fierce Tedesco drive beat Toldo but hit the post.

Reggina had midfielder Colucci sent off in the 67th minute for a second bookable offence.

'Di Canio's salute was political, not racist' - FA chief Carraro

Lazio striker Paolo di Canio was making a political gesture, not a racist one, when he celebrated last week's derby win against Roma with a fascist salute, Italy's Football Association chief said.

"It is not a racist gesture, but a political gesture, in my opinion," Franco Carraro, chairman of the Italian FA told reporters.

Di Canio has been criticised in Italy and overseas after marking Lazio's 3-1 derby win with a stiff-armed salute to the crowd, identical to the 'Roman salute' used by followers of Italy's wartime fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini.

Di Canio, who was a hard core Lazio 'ultra' during his youth before joining the club as a player, has denied there was any political content to his gesture, although he has never made a secret of his political affiliations.

In his autobiography he said he was "fascinated" by Mussolini and said the dictator was "deeply misunderstood".

The controversy is badly timed for Italy's FA as it launched a bid for the 2012 European Championship last week, pledging to cut out racism and violence at matches.

Serie A

Played yesterday
Brescia 1
Fiorentina 1
Reggina 0
Inter 0

Playing today
Atalanta vs Siena
Cagliari vs Juventus 8.30 p.m.
Chievo vs Roma
Lazio vs Palermo
Livorno vs Messina
Milan vs Udinese
Parma vs Lecce
Sampdoria vs Bologna