Totti avoids ban for goading Lazio

Roma striker Francesco Totti has avoided a ban in the Serie A title run-in after being let off with a fine for goading fans of relegation-threatened Lazio.

Totti, whose side lead Serie A by one point with four games left, made a thumbs-down gesture to Lazio supporters after Roma's 2-1 comeback win in a heated city derby on Sunday.

The Italian league said in a statement yesterday that captain Totti had been fined €20,000 for the gesture, which provoked an angry response from the already combustible Lazio contingent on and off the field.

The match has always been one of football's most violent derbies but critics have said the striker's actions further inflamed the situation, with several people arrested and one man seriously hurt in fighting after the game.

The clubs were both fined €40,000 for trouble in the stands.