Inter Supporters Join the List of Those in Trouble
By: Martha | October 8th, 2007
Though I’m completely striking out in my efforts to find anything about it in the English-language press, sections of the Inter support engaged in racist chants during their match against Napoli over the weekend, as well as displaying offensive banners. Super.
There are pictures of three different banners in today’s (print) La Gazzetta, as well as descriptions of them in other Italian outlets; I can’t find any of them online, though I’m sure they’re out there. The racism in question, as far as I can tell, stems from Italy’s regional rivalries, and stereotypes associated with them; one of the banners — where are outlawed without express permission these days, no matter what they say — referred to Naples as the country’s “sewer.” (I’m not quoting the rest of them because I’m sure there are incredibly offensive colloquialisms at work that I’ll never understand.)* Bad news, kids.
While there haven’t been any bans handed down yet, this is very similar to what went on at the Napoli ground when they faced Livorno several weeks ago (albeit without the smoke bombs that were flying in Naples), and those incidents resulted in the next home match being played in an empty stadium, as well as a temporary away travel ban. Barring sexual favors or incredibly persuasive pleas from Massimo Moratti to someone at FIGC, similar punishment seems pretty much inevitable for Inter supporters, though obviously their impact wouldn’t be felt (and perhaps won’t even be announced) until after the international break is over.
*Anyone who reads Italian and/or is more informed than I about regional rivalries in Italy (Read: Knows anything about them.), please feel free to hold forth in the comments. I’ll edit the post and add in any edumacation you guys have got to offer.
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Comments
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i say gather them all and burn them :)
only if life was that fortunate!
Posted from
Canada
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Ah, great show of sportsmanship Inter!
Favoloso.I know little of the racism, but I know about Gli Ultra and team rivalries. I can’t really help with this one though =[
Posted from
United States -
It does have something to do with the north-south rivalry in Italy. the north see the south as retards, without a job, without proper health care and driving skills. the south see the north as a bunch of stuck-up, posh people caring about nothing else than making money and separating from the south. i can remember a hellas – napoli match where there was a banner saying ‘abiamo bisogno d’acqua e sapone’: ‘we need water and soap’, to wash the dirty napolitani.
and than there’s also the problem with the garbage company in napoli: they didn’t pick up the trash for weeks, so the entire city was smelling like an open sewer.
Italy never was and never will be one united nation, and that problem also reflects in football. remember the hellas-vicenza en reggina-messina rivalries…
Posted from
Belgium -
I wonder why Inter fans are so racist, while their team consists completely of non-Italians. It makes me wonder if they know whats go on at all…its disgraceful.
Posted from
United States -
Gianfranco, an interesting point you’ve got!
While this would be a good time to absolutely sh!t all over Inter, I’m going to put it out there and admit that my clubs have some very, very bad chants and signs as well. Milan’s “Milan Spera Superga Bianconera!” is disgusting. It disgusts me that football goes to these levels. While some things are just in good fun and whatnot, this racism and other things are just uncalled for.Posted from
United States -
Mele419, could you please translate that? Is it an anti-Juve chant referring to that famous Torino air tragedy, or something else?
Posted from
India -
It is. it means something like ‘Milans hopes for black and white Superga’
Posted from
Belgium -
I think that some people are misunderstanding the point here. This has less to do with racism than it has to do with regionalism inside of a country.
The banners (my opinion here folks, take with a pinch of salt)is combining the reference to the criminal element of Naples, the general disdain the north has for the south, the returned disdain the the south has for the north and the smell that exists by the famously (though not as much anymore) polluted docks.
Yes there is a racial element as well, for those noneducated people to make reference to a kind of genetic superiority, but its cetainly not the driving force of the relatively mild superiority complex the at both sides exhibit against each other.
Not that these facts make the banners any more palatable or ‘right’.
But Italy is as much a collection of unrelated peoples as north England, south England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are. Or of the United States. These types of things will happen from time to time.
Just my (rather long winded) opinion.
Posted from
United States -
Thanks a lot for that, MAD — just the sort of clarification we needed.
Posted from
Germany -
For anyone with an interest in this kind of thing might I recomment a book called Eurotrashed by an author called Dougie Brimson.
It deals with the history of hooliganism across Europe and there is a large section on Italy and the Ultra movement.
Posted from
United States
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