Soccer-Chilean club punished for fans' racist behaviour

Nov 28 (Reuters) - Chilean first division club O'Higgins have been ordered to play their next match behind closed doors after fans racially abused an opposing player, the Chilean football association said. The ruling came three weeks after the match between O'Higgins and San Marcos de Arica in Rancagua, 50 miles south of the capital Santiago. The referee stopped the game for two minutes after O'Higgins fans abused San Marcos's Venezuelan striker Emilio Renteria with racist chants and monkey noises. The match was restarted following an appeal to halt the abuse was broadcast over the stadium tannoy. The ban came just days after a referee abandoned a match involving Renteria when rival fans abused him. Saturday's San Marcos-Deportes Iquique derby was suspended after 71 minutes with San Marcos 1-0 ahead thanks to a goal by Renteria. It was the latest in a series of crackdowns on racism in South American football. In recent months, teams in Chile, Peru and Brazil have been punished for their fans' racist acts. The Chilean FA did not say when the ban will take place. The Chilean league season ends this weekend. (Reporting by Andrew Downie, editing by Ed Osmond)