Ince Loves Him Some Inter

By: Martha | January 6th, 2007

Pizaul Ince Paul Ince, a former England captain who is currently the staggeringly successful manager of English League Two side Macclesfield Town — in his time in charge, the club has taken 19 of 21 possible points and flown from the foot of the table — is fantasizing about returning to Italy, now that he’s a gaffer extraordinaire. Ince spent two impressive seasons with Inter in the mid-1990s, and he’s not only much-loved by the club’s fans but also, apparently, the black son Massimo Moratti never had. According to Ince, he and Moratti are still super-tight, 10 years after he left the club. His Italian dad still sends him Christmas gifts, and always remembers his birthday. (All together now: “Awwww.”) For some reason, all of this has Ince believing that, had he stayed with Inter for a few more years, he’d be the club’s manager today. And, even though he left, he still feels as if, in a few years’ time, he could still get the gig.

What’s fascinating here is the context: Ince recently hinted to The Sun that he was denied the Wolverhampton managerial position because of his race, suggesting the club’s owners were uncomfortable putting a black man in charge of their team. Whether this is true or not, it’s hard not to remember that certain fan groups in Italy — including some at Inter — are notoriously racist. It’s interesting to hear Ince speak with such idealistic confidence of his chances of taking over Inter one day, and it got me thinking: Has there ever been a black manager in Italy? (And yes, it’s utterly pathetic to even have to ask this question — American sports fans may not like their soccer, but at least they generally have moved beyond the humiliating racism exhibited by football fans all over Europe.)