Racism in Italy, again
What happened to the FIFA Disciplinary Code that promised to protect the integrity of the game and downplay racism?
Italy fell back into the hands of an old demon. Verona’s racism targeted Brescia’s Mario Balotelli with loud gorilla noises every time he contacted the ball. The Italian striker committed a handball and sent the ball to the bleachers as a sign of repudiation.
Referee Maurizio Mariani stopped the match for a couple of minutes — as the protocol states — while players of Hellas Verona and Brescia convinced Mario Balotelli to stay in the game.
According to Article 13.2 of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code, Hellas Verona should be sanctioned. Their fans attempted against Balotelli’s dignity and integrity with humiliating words. However, the bar of a significant punishment is exceptionally high.
When Bulgaria’s fans harassed English players with racist chants, UEFA ordered Bulgaria to play two matches behind closed doors and issued a fine of $83,000. However, that was the third time that the European entity received a sanction for racially discriminating opponents. And the quantity of the punishment was $20,000 less than when Nicklas Bendtner showed the top of his underwear, which contained the name of a sponsor, in 2012.
Racism is bedrock in Italian football, and is a problem that surfaces even in youth leagues. In the previous two years, the independent organization Observatory on Racism in Football recorded 80 cases of intolerance in lower leagues. During that period of time, even 12-year-old players were subjected to discrimination during soccer matches.
The attention of racial bigotry in the boot-shaped country got the direct care of FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino, who publicly showed urgency to develop solutions. Nevertheless, it’s already institutionalized.
After the events with Balotelli, Hellas Verona’s president Maurizio Setti and coach Ivan Juric denied the facts.
“I think that we haven’t heard racist chants. I’ve talked to the fourth referee, and he hasn’t heard any signs of racism.” Juric said at the press conference. Consequently, Setti commented that the fan base of Hellas Verona is “ironic but not racist.”
President Setti told reporters that the supporters have “a sympathetic way of joking with people,” downplaying the evidence. He excused the attitude of his fans by using the “we have a lot of players of color” card, and doubled down in denying the incident. “Let me repeat: today nothing happened on the pitch.”
It is not the first time a player or an executive defended intolerance in Italy. Last year, former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri and center back Leonardo Bonucci blamed Moise Kean for being harassed during their visit to Cagliari. Even Cagliari president Tommaso Giulini interpreted the Italian youngster’s goal celebration as an intentional trigger for racist chants. Keane just stood up and opened his arms.
Another crowd in Italy repeated an offense against a player of color. What is happening in Italy needs to be eradicated. Racism has escalated to affect the youth, and it should be a priority for FIFA to stop it. During 2019, FIFA eliminated a slur in Mexico during soccer matches. The primary football organism pressured the Liga MX to suspend and/or take points off from every team that didn’t cooperate. It worked out the very first time it was implemented.
However, Italy is a different monster. Racism is in the system, and there’s no punishment for a culture that blames the abused instead of giving solutions. The new Disciplinary Code should be applied harshly, and FIFA has the tools to enforce it. If the judging panel doesn’t implement an exemplary sanction to Hellas Verona, all of them will be complicit in threatening the integrity of the game.
Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.
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