Yugoslav footballer Sinisa Mihajlovic, who plays for Lazio in Rome, faces a possible three-year prison sentence after he was reported to be under police investigation on charges of incitement to racial hatred. The inquiry is linked to the exchange of insults between Mihajlovic and Arsenal's black French midfielder Patrick Vieira during last October's Champions League game in Rome.
After that game, Vieira complained that Mihajlovic had called him "a black monkey". Some Lazio fans also chanted abuse at Vieira.
Mihajlovic subsequently told reporters: "What Vieira says is not true. I didn't call him a monkey. It's true that I did call him a black shit but that's not the same as calling him a negro shit, is it? He called me a gypsy shit and that was my way of replying ... I'm not racist and I have nothing against blacks ... but if he is going to start dishing it out then he's got to be ready to take it, too".
Mihajlovic later issued a public apology after Uefa banned him for two games for "sustained racist insults throughout the match".
The normally reliable Milan-based daily, Corriere Della Sera, reported yesterday that a police investigation is focusing on the player's on-field behaviour and off-field comments. A spokesman for the Italian police refused to comment.
If found guilty under the terms of 1975 and 1993 legislation, Mihajlovic would become the first player to be convicted for a racist offence on the pitch.
The police could also ban him from sports grounds as long as the investigation continues. However, they are unlikely to exercise this option. Under Italian law, Mihajlovic can only be brought to court if a preliminary hearing judge decides there is a genuine case to be answered.
Yesterday's report also claimed that police investigators believe the player called on a group of Lazio fans to display a banner in memory of the indicted war criminal Arkan during Lazio's game against Bari at the Olympic Stadium in Rome last January.
The banner, saying Honour to the Tiger Arkan, was displayed after Arkan (Zelijko Raznatovic) was killed in a shooting in a Belgrade hotel. Mihajlovic wrote an obituary in a Belgrade newspaper.
