ROME, Sept 16 (Reuters) - ⁠Sixteen AS Roma fans have been banned ⁠from stadiums across Italy after performing the stiff-armed ‌fascist salute during a Serie A home game against Atalanta, Rome police said in a statement on Wednesday.

The bans ​range from one to five years ⁠and also apply ⁠to AS Roma matches played abroad and national soccer ⁠team ‌fixtures, police said. Four of the supporters will also have to report to ⁠police during AS Roma matches, they added.

The ​fascist-style salute was ‌made by fans in the Curva sud ⁠section, home ​to hardcore supporters, during a September 5 evening match which AS Roma won 2-1 with two last-gasp ⁠goals from Mario Hermoso and Matias ​Soule.

Displays of far-right sentiment are not uncommon in Italian soccer among groups of hardline fans known as ⁠ultras. Prosecutors have also linked some ultras to organised crime and far-right extremist networks.

The fascist salute is not explicitly banned in all circumstances in ​Italy, and courts assess the ⁠gesture on a case-by-case basis. It can be prosecuted ​under laws banning the revival ‌of the fascist party and ​the incitement of racial hatred.

(Reporting by Cristina Carlevaro, editing by Alvise Armellini, Aidan Lewis)