Italian soccer body promises to punish Lazio for sexist fans

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ROME (AP) — The Italian soccer federation's secretary general says Lazio will be punished for fans trying to ban women from a section of Stadio Olimpico.

Michele Uva says there will "certainly be disciplinary consequences" for the incident ahead of Lazio's opening Serie A game last weekend.

A group of fans described their section as a "sacred space" women should avoid.

Female fans were invited in distributed flyers to "position themselves from the 10th row back."

Lazio distanced itself from the latest incident of discrimination by fans, which has been a persistent problem in recent seasons.

Uva, an elected vice president of European soccer body UEFA, says in comments reported by Italian agency Ansa that "the conviction is obvious" from his point of view.