An 11-year-old Italian boy has been handed a two-month ban after he racially insulted a referee during a youth game in Tuscany.
The incident happened on Oct. 18 when the boy, who was not even on the field at the time for AC Prato in their game against Maliseti, "repeatedly made racial insults" from the bench, according to reports. He was shown the red card by the referee and ordered to leave the area.
An automatic ban was imposed while the matter was investigated.
That investigation has now concluded and the 11-year-old has been banned from playing until Jan. 22, 2015, according to the ANSA news agency.
Earlier this month, a 16-year-old AC Milan player was handed a five-game ban for racially insulting an opponent. Meanwhile, Hellas Verona are set to face Lazio with part of the Stadio Bentegodi closed due to the alleged racial abuse directed at Milan's Sulley Muntari during last weekend's clash between the two sides.
The president of the Italian Football Association (FIGC) Carlo Tavecchio has also been banned by UEFA for six months after making a racially discriminatory remark during his election campaign with these recent incidents underlining the problems Italian football still has with racism.