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BRIEF PAUSE: Officials and players briefly stop proceedings after racism ruins match

PLAY WAS called to a halt during an Italian football match between Milan and Roma after black players were subjected to racist chants in the first-half at the San Siro on May 12.

The Serie A game was paused for roughly two minutes at the start of the second-half as the away support aimed monkey taunts at players including Mario Balotelli and Sulley Muntari.

Following a plea from Roma captain Francesco Totti to end the chanting, a stadium announcement warned supporters that the match would be abandoned if the chanting continued. The fixture eventually ended 0-0

Back in January, a friendly between Milan and Pro Patria was abandoned after German-Ghanaian Kevin-Prince Boateng was being racially abused by a section of the crowd.

Following that incident new rules were brought in by the Italian Football Federation to help referees deals with racism inside stadiums.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter condemned the actions of the Roma fans.

He tweeted on social media site Twitter: "Appalled to read about racist abuse in Serie A last night. Tackling this issue is complex, but we're committed to action, not just words."