Serie A clubs have united to try and eradicate Italian football's "serious problem with racism".
Brescia forward Mario Balotelli and Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku have both made allegations of being racially abused by supporters during games in the country's top tier this season.
An open letter addressed to "all those who love Italian football" was published on Friday, signed by all 20 Serie A clubs, who say they can "no longer stay silent".
It read: "We have to publicly recognise that we have a serious problem with racism. It's a problem that we have not done enough to combat over the years.
"Images of players being racially abused in Italian football have been viewed and discussed all around the world this season and that shames us all.
"No individual should ever be subjected to racist abuse - inside or outside of football - and we can no longer stay silent on this issue or wait for it to magically disappear.
"Driven by the clubs, positive conversations have been held in recent weeks with Lega Serie A, FIGC (the Italian Football Federation) and international experts on how to tackle and eradicate this issue from the game.
"We, the undersigned clubs, are united by our desire for serious change and Lega Serie A has stated its intention to lead the way by delivering a comprehensive and robust Serie A anti-racism policy, stricter new laws and regulations and a plan for educating those within the game about the scourge of racism.
"We don't have any more time to waste. We must now act with speed, with purpose and with unity and we call on you, the fans, to support us in this vitally important endeavour."
Former Manchester City man Balotelli kicked the ball into the crowd and threatened to walk off the pitch after being racially abused by Verona fans during Brescia's 2-1 defeat at the Bentegodi Stadium earlier this month. Verona were punished with a partial stadium ban, which was later suspended pending further investigation.
Lukaku, who moved to Inter in the summer from Manchester United, appeared to be subjected to monkey chants as he prepared to take - and score - a match-winning penalty in Inter's 2-1 Serie A victory at the Sardegna Arena in September but Cagliari escaped punishment.
