Roma`s Totti avoids ban for goading Lazio fans

Rome: AS 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 on Tuesday that captain Totti had been fined 20,000 euros (USD 26,910) 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 euros for trouble in the stands where a steward was hit by a coin and police officers were slightly injured in scuffles.Totti was so pumped up for the match that coach Claudio Ranieri had to substitute him at halftime, saying the one-club man was too excited to contribute effectively. Bureau Report