Italian football's top league, Serie A, has scored an own goal after its anti-racism poster has been criticized for being racist.

The artwork depicts three monkeys with painted faces as part of the league's 'No To Racism' campaign. 

The move came after Serie A was called to take action over increasingly frequent racist incidents in Italian stadiums. Last month, Brescia striker Mario Balotelli tried to leave the pitch during his team's game against Verona and said "enough, I can't play like this," following several racist chants directed at him. Balotelli is one of the many players who face weekly racist abuse from supporters.

It also comes less than two weeks after newspaper Corriere dello Sport was castigated for its "Black Friday" headline, which was featured next to the images of two black players.

Serie A's poster prompted some angry reactions. "Once again Italian football leaves the world speechless," said anti-discrimination body Fare in a tweet. "In a country in which the authorities fail to deal with racism week after week, Serie A have launched a campaign that looks like a sick joke."

Artist Simone Fugazzotto, who created the poster, responded to the accusations: "It was my idea, as the artist responsible for this project. I have painted monkeys for years as a metaphor for mankind, in all its forms and variations. I never thought that it would be problematic in a campaign against racism, because we really do believe in this fight. I am ready to take on the controversy, as an artist is ready to do anything for his ideas."