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Italian football mourns former coach Emiliano Mondonico

Former Italian Serie A coach Emiliano Mondonico, who guided clubs such as Torino, Fiorentina and Atalanta, has died aged 71 years after a long battle with cancer, his family said on Thursday.

Italian football mourns former coach Emiliano Mondonico
Torino fans. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Mondonico's greatest success was leading Torino to the 1992 UEFA Cup final, and the Italian Cup trophy the following year.

Torino led the tributes, issuing a statement on their website: “President Urbano Cairo and all the Torino Football Club – managers, employees, coaches, football players, youth sector – are deeply saddened and express heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Emiliano Mondonico.

“A former Granata player and then Toro coach with whom he won an Italian Cup and the Mitropa Cup, Emiliano Mondonico has entered the history of our club and the hearts of all the fans.”

“Bye Mondo, we'll miss you.”

During his playing career Mondonico played for Torino, Monza, Atalanta, and his local side Cremonese as a winger between 1966 and 1979.

He also managed Napoli before finishing his career in 2012 after he was sacked by Novara.

Atalanta also paid tribute, saying: “In moments like this you always find it hard to find words, perhaps because there are none. An important piece of Atalantine history has gone, but it will never be forgotten.”

Fiorentina said Mondonico would “remain forever in our history and our hearts” after leading the club back to Serie A in 2004.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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