UEFA launched an investigation last night into allegations that Patrick Vieira was racially abused by Lazio's Sinisa Mihajlovic throughout Arsenal's Champions League game in Rome on Tuesday. Vieira has claimed he was called a "f...ing black monkey" by Mihajlovic and said the abuse heaped on him by the Yugoslavia defender was the worst he has heard.
The behaviour of Lazio fans, who taunted Arsenal's black players and hurled objects at their opponents at the end of Tuesday's 1-1 draw, will also be investigated. "Mihajlovic called me a f...ing black monkey and when you are a player you are not happy to hear that," said Vieira, who in the past might easily have lost his cool in the face of such provocation. "What is really surprising is it has come from a player who is a foreigner in Italy.
"It started in the first game at Highbury and I thought maybe it was just because we won the game that he was upset. When a fan does it is stupid, when a player does it it's unbelievable. It is the worst abuse I have ever heard and it never stopped from the moment the teams were shaking hands at the start. I told him he'd said enough."
Mihajlovic admitted last night he had made reference to Vieira's colour but denied the insults were racist and claimed Vieira had started the squabble by calling him a gypsy. "Yes, it's true, I said `black shit' but he provoked me by saying `gypsy shit'," said Mihajlovic.
UEFA is also investigating the ill-tempered squabbles which marred the evening. They included Arsenal's Gilles Grimandi striking Diego Simeone, leaving the midfielder with a cut above his eye, and an after-match fight involving Grimandi, Mihajlovic and his Lazio team-mate Alessandro Nesta.
Meanwhile, Barcelona's Rivaldo hit a hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 Group H match at AC Milan last night. The Brazilian fired Barcelona ahead in the 19th minute with a low free-kick which skidded past Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.
But Milan were level six minutes later thanks to a sweetly-struck, long-range drive from midfielder Demetrio Albertini.
Albertini then struck again to put the Italians ahead with a thundering free-kick from 25 metres out which gave Barca's French goalkeeper Richard Dutruel no chance. But anything Albertini could do, Rivaldo could do better and within four minutes he had brought Barcelona level with a simply unstoppable free-kick.
On the stroke of half-time, Oliver Bierhoff's close-range effort was blocked by Dutruel but Milan's Spanish striker Jose Mari pounced to scramble the ball home. Milan were on top after the break but once again Rivaldo showed why he was voted World Player of the Year by equalising in the 68th minute, with a textbook header from an excellent Sergi cross.
