Lazio Fans: Again With the Racist Chants
By: Martha | November 5th, 2007
Lazio supporters have a well-deserved bad reputation, and they’re seemingly working hard this season to make it even worse than it already is; their chosen object of hate at the moment is anyone of Romanian decent.
First, there was the trouble during their Champions League qualifying match against Dynamo Bucharest, when supporters fought outside of the Olympico, and Lazio ultras aimed racist, anti-Romanian chants at opposing players. In that instance, UEFA launched an investigation but didn’t ever hand out any punishment, as far as I can tell. (Nice no-tolerance policy, UEFA.) And, now, it’s the FIGC who are investigating, because it happened again on Saturday, this time against Fiorentina.
Adrian Mutu played less than a half an hour of the Viola’s match against Lazio, but apparently it was more than enough time for the Curva Nord at the Olympico to hurl abuse at the striker, calling him a “gypsy” (the knowledgeable racist’s insult of choice for Romanians) and engaging in anti-Romanian chants. Yes, Mutu did make a bad tackle the moment he entered the pitch. And, yes, there was recently a brutal murder in Rome, committed by a man of alleged Romanian decent. But so what? A few weeks ago it was Inter supporters with the anti-southern banners, and now this — at some point, it has to stop. (She says with foolish idealism, knowing it’s not going to.)
Inter supporters were punished by the closing of the Curva Nord for their match against Genoa, and it’s expected that a similar punishment will be handed down against the Lazio Curva. Will it make any difference? Doubtful. Any sort of punishment is a step in the right direction, though — at least they’re sending a message that sort of behavior is unacceptable, as opposed to UEFA who talk a good game but don’t appear very interested in pulling the trigger with bans or fines.
Category: 
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share
      |
Comments
-
The Italians don’t understand. Romanians aren’t Gypsies. Gypsies are another race ( not romanian ). They’re travelling nomads who steal and live in small tents under bridges. Romania has tried for years to get rid of them as 70% of them are unemployed and are 80% of the crimerate. Please don’t confuse Romanians with Gypsies. To conclude, Romanians have a lighter skin tone and are easy to disguish from Gypsies, I don’t understand why they would call Mutu that?
Posted from
Canada
-
Seemingly any excuse to hurl insults at someone is good enough reason for too many Italian fans. Christ almighty, are there any fans in Italy whose fans aren’t racist, violent and full of piss and vinegar?
Luc, it doesn’t matter to the Lazio ultras the differences between a “gypsy” and a “Romanian”… they’ll hurl insults regardless of the lack of logic. Not trying to pick on the Laziale because, as I said, I can’t for the life of me find a generally well behaved group of Italian supporters. Lord knows my Napoletanos are known for being crude and violent. It won’t change but I’m encouraged, I guess, that the FIGC is acting like they’re going to do something about it.
And Martha, lest not forget Inter having to close one of the Curvas and Napoli having to play behind closed doors for almost the same offense (only difference is a freaking yogurt bottle hit the 4th official at the San Paolo) means we aren’t really seeing justice handed out impartially. What do you expect, I guess, when we’re talking about Italy.
Posted from
United States -
I remember a banner during Palermo - Fiorentina last year, saying ‘Mutu, the wheels on your house go round and round’
Good times. Seriously, Italians are/were/always will be ‘racist’, and nothings gonna change that. hell, they even insult their fellow countrymen who live 40 miles away.
Posted from
Belgium -
I have to say though, out of everyone it seems Lazio is the worst, I remember last time Dinamo played them Lazio received 2 red cards. Now how does that happen?
Posted from
Canada -
Steven, that’s horribly offensive but at least they get points for creativity. Heh.
And, Luc, I know what you mean, but describing gypsy’s as a different race (Aren’t they called “Roma”? Not the team, but the race? Or is that totally wrong?) that steals isn’t real constructive, either. (:
Joe, I agree that it’s mad. It would sort of have been nice if someone at Inter HAD hurled a yogurt cup or two, so we could see if that really is THE thing that pushes it over the edge. Honestly, would you even be surprised if it was? As you say, logic isn’t really a defining element of any of this.
Posted from
United States -
“Christ almighty, are there any fans in Italy whose fans aren’t racist, violent and full of piss and vinegar?”
“Good times. Seriously, Italians are/were/always will be ‘racist’, and nothings gonna change that.”
Wow… I really can’t describe how incredibly insulted I am. Nice to see all the bigots that showed up today, hope you’re having a good one.
Funny story. I went the Buffalo Bills vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL game wearing a Cowboy hat. Three times someone (could have been same guy or different guys, I don’t know) told me to, “Sit the hell down, you f’n Sp*c!” and many poeple around laughed and clapped (I was pretty offended and made my displeasure known… through non-verbal language). Two quarters later when the Bills lost one the last play of the game, a fight broke out behind me. Now I am going to quote one of the above gentlemen again:
“Christ almighty, are there any fans in Italy whose fans aren’t racist, violent and full of piss and vinegar?”
Tell me, do you have a good view from that glass house? Or do the jagged edges from where the stones went through obscure anything? Say, politness, common sense, bigotry or perspective?
Posted from
United States -
MAD, relax. I’m not sure why you’re taking offense to Joe’s comment, because I’m pretty sure it was said in exasperation. He’s not slamming Italians. And if he’s in the US, I’m sure he’s well aware that racism is alive and kicking there. Doesn’t mean he can’t still deplore racism connected to Italian football.
Luc, Romanian != Romani duly noted. But the people who called Mutu gypsy don’t care. All they care about is that they’re in the group called Us, and he’s in the group called Them. Which particular flavor of Them doesn’t matter in the least. Now please stop with the stereotypes about the Roma.
Posted from
Italy -
Luc, your effort to distinguish between the “race” of gypsies and Romanians makes it sound as if your problem with the Lazio ultras is that they were simply inaccurate in calling Mutu a gypsy. That can’t be right.
Posted from
United States -
*sighs* Without even getting into the incredibly bigoted view of the Romani put forth, I might point out that while the Romani are often classified as gypsies, “gypsy” is a broad term which covers a large number of social and ethnic groups of which the Romani are only one.
Also, Romani usually live in houses, and the majority of them are not migratory. They stopped being the stereotypical “gypsy” a long time ago.
Posted from
United States -
All I’m saying is that with all the Romi across the world, people start believing that they represent Romania. They do not, and believe me I am not a biggot. I live in Romania and witness day to day what goes on, they are the modern day gypsy, Angharad, 70% of them are unemployed. They make up 80% of Romanian crime.
What I, and every other Romanian try to do is help people distinguish that they do not represent us, and we resent them as much as the next guy. We take great offense when being called gypsies. It’s like you living in the US and someone calling you Turkish. You just don’t understand why they’re calling you that.
As for the Romi in Italy right now, they deserve whatever’s coming to them. It’s been too long that we’ve stood around doing nothing. And its sad to see that it’s not even our home country that’s doing something about the gypsy problem, it’s another country who’s fed up.
Posted from
Canada -
Yes, Luc, it’s been too long that the rest of Europe has stood around doing nothing about the Roma. Such a shame we can’t go back to historic methods of dealing with them like discrimination, marginalization, forced assimilation, forced sterilization, and genocide. (/sarcasm) You’re in a hole. How about you stop digging?
Posted from
Italy -
I guess I was thinking Forced Labour haha but it’s all good.
Posted from
Canada -
I remember Europe “doing something” about the Roma. It was in the early 1940s, and it involved concentration camps and gas chambers. I’m sure the Nazis believed the Roma “deserved whatever was coming to them” as well.
All hail racism. It never dies.
Posted from
United States
Comments are closed
Home 
