Lazio fans should hang their heads in shame

What a shameful spectacle in Rome on Sunday.

Inter Milan all but wrapped up the Serie A title thanks to a 2-0 victory over Lazio, a result that put them firmly in the driver's seat as the campaign nears the finish line.

Inter holds a two-point advantage over second-place AS Roma with only two games left in the season - one game against mid-table Chievo Verona, the other versus already-relegated Siena - so it was a huge result for the Nerazzurri on Sunday.

Sadly, Lazio fans distinguished themselves, once again, with their idiotic behaviour.

The biancoceleste faithful have always marched to the beat of a different drum, and Sunday's match was further evidence of that. The Lazio supporters booed their team and cheered for Inter Milan - going so far as to hold up banners and sing songs in support of the Nerazzurri.

Why would Lazio fans root against their own club? It's simple, really: a victory for Lazio would have strengthened the title hopes of their bitter city rivals, Roma.

It made for a quite a surreal atmosphere inside the Stadio Olimpico. Every touch of the ball by a Lazio player was met by catcalls and whistles, while Inter players were cheered every time they did something positive.

Finally, when Inter scored in injury time during the first half, Lazio fans unfurled a sarcastic banner that read "Oh noooo....." and began cheering wildly. This continued on for the rest of the match, with Lazio fans celebrating after the final whistle, secure in the knowledge that Roma were now long-shots to claim the Scudetto.

The Italian press, not to mention AS Roma officials, were venomous in their condemnation of Lazio after the game, slamming the players for lying down and letting Inter Milan roll over them.

But I don't think the players are to blame at all. To suggest that they played dead isn't fair - Lazio were clearly second best on the field, but that's due to the fact that they were no match for Inter, one of the best teams in the world.

Lazio was also missing several players: Cristian Ledesma (suspension), as well as Guglielmo Stendardo, Mourad Meghni, Christian Manfredini, Albano Bizzarri and Francelino Matuzalem (all injured).

Furthermore, Lazio had everything to play for. The biancoceleste are mired in a relegation battle and could have secured their place in Serie A next year with a victory, so to accuse them of phoning it in just to screw over AS Roma is a stretch when you consider it wasn't in their best interest to do so.

No, condemnation should be reserved for Lazio's idiotic supporters for taking stupidity to a new level.

Can you imagine, say, fans at the Air Canada Centre cheering for the Red Wings against the Maple Leafs because a loss by Toronto would eliminate the Montreal Canadiens from playoff contention? It would never happen, because while Toronto fans may hate the Habs, they love the Leafs, first and foremost.

Sadly, hatred is more important than love and pride to Lazio fans - not so surprising when you consider their track record.

Seeking to deride the city's Jewish population that traditionally supports Roma, Lazio's ultras took anti-Semitism to sickening heights in a derby game during the 1998-99 season when they unfurled a 50-metre banner around the Curva Nord that read, "Auschwitz is your town, the ovens are your houses."

Two years later, Lazio supporters taunted Roma's star black players, Brazilians Cafu and Aldair, with boos and monkey chants whenever they touched the ball. They also displayed several offensive banners, including one that claimed Roma was a "Team of blacks followed by Jews.

While I bear no grudge against team, it would please me to no end to see them relegated this year - that would be the proper punishment for Lazio's moronic fans.