Football stands as a religion to many Italians. One would only have to look at Roberto Baggio’s face after missing the decisive penalty in the 1994 World Cup to understand. Yet the admirability of this passion has been dampened by Italy’s failure to stamp racism out of the game.
Often, the impact of this abuse on players is not appropriately recognised. Nowadays, footballers are drowned in advertisements, tightly controlled social media accounts and intensive media training courses, all of which aim to develop a faultless image of the player. This carefully crafted perception of players has limited fans’ ability to understand their idols beyond appreciation of what they do on the pitch each week. People are failing to recognise that these players are simply human. They feel the same spectrum of emotions that any fan around the world does. Mike Maignan, current AC Milan and France national team goalkeeper, powerfully articulated this sad reality after suffering abuse at Udinese’s Stadio Friuli in January of this year. The day after the event, Maignan took to social media, writing “It’s not the player who was attacked. It’s the man. It’s the father of a family”.
The tragedy of the situation lies in the fact that very little progress has been made. Time and time again, the Italian football authorities have buried their heads in the sand and failed to confront the issues at hand. Racism is so engrained into Italian footballing culture that the victim’s own fanbase often fail to provide condemnation. In September 2019, Cagliari fans were seen to be making derogatory monkey gestures towards Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku. Instead of condemning this abhorrent display of racism, a group of Inter Milan fans responded to the incident by claiming Cagliari supporters were showing a form of “respect” when they hurled racist chants towards Lukaku, classifying the acts as “gamesmanship”.
Whilst the acts of fans are inexcusable, so too are the responses by many fellow players and staff. Teenage Juventus forward Moise Kean suffered racist abuse from fans during his side’s 2-0 win over Cagliari in April 2019. After scoring in the game, Kean ran towards the stands with his arms outstretched. Despite racist abuse following, teammate Leonardo Bonucci claimed ‘the blame is 50-50’, whilst manager Massimiliano Allegri stated that Kean should’ve risen above the chants and ‘shouldn’t have celebrated in that manner.’ If abused players aren’t going to receive support from their own teammates and coaches, it makes it hard to work out who exactly will support these players in their push for equality.
The events above emphasise that Italian football is plagued by racism. Between 2011-2016, the Observatory of Racism in Football counted 249 racist incidents in Italian stadiums. Ultras, governing boards, fan committees, and teammates have simply not done enough to stamp discrimination out of the game. Whilst other countries have attempted to make progressive strides towards equality, such as the ‘Take the Knee’ initiative which was introduced to the Premier League in June 2020, Italy seems to be far behind. As recently as 2021, Italian players failed to take a united stance against the issue. Giorgio Chiellini, captain of the Italian national team, declared that his players would only take the knee during the 2020 European Championship if “the other team makes the request”. This controversial approach was worsened when during a group-stage game against Wales, the Welsh team knelt, yet only five Italian players followed suit. Players stand as inspirations for the millions watching in the stadium and at home; their refusal to take a collective stance sends out the wrong message to the fans.
Progress will only be made if there is complete unanimity at all levels of the game, from the players and the coaching staff to the governing boards and the fans. Football is a game for all, and the colour of a player’s skin should never have any bearing on the way they are treated by all those involved. With every racist incident and every failure to condemn these acts, the worse the situation has become. Without imminent change, Italy’s previously glistening football reputation will be totally destroyed by racism.
