Racism in the Italian Game
By: Martha | January 14th, 2008
[I'll say right up front that my thoughts on this are really unfocused, but I wanted to bring it up because I'm curious as to what you guys think about a possible solution, particularly those of you who are in Italy, or have followed the Italian game for a decade or two.]
It’s a sad truth that racism against African players is so long-standing in Italy that it’s hardly even discussed anymore, at least not in the English and Italian sources I read. It’s not gone, but it seems to be accepted as just a tragic fact of life now, worth reporting only when someone at a victim club makes issue of it in the press, as the president of Serie C1 side Pro Sesto did yesterday:
It happened before, in the away game when every time one of our black players touched the ball they started to boo … On Saturday it happened at our ground when one of our players was injured and they hurled abuse at him. Verona should be fined repeatedly for the attitude of their fans. It is incredible to believe that people could chant ‘die’ at a player on the floor.
And, again, these aren’t isolated incidents. I remember reading (possibly in John Foot’s Calcio) about how Udinese didn’t buy their first black player until years after the taboo has been broken — I want to say it wasn’t until the mid-to-late 1980s, at the earliest — because their supporters were so abusive of opposing players of African descent that they were afraid of the response. And this is to the team’s own players. Obviously Udine got over it and now have a great recording of finding and nurturing African talent, but the abuse continues to be a factor all over Italy, whether it’s from pockets of support or bigger, more organized groups.
The racism extends to Asians, too, as Celtic’s Shunsuke Nakamura discussed last week, and to certain European populations, as Adrian Mutu has found out repeatedly this season, most recently at Parma yesterday. (Not surprisingly, the only on-pitch support Mutu got was from Parma’s Senegalese defender Ferdinand Coly, who described the behavior of his team’s supporters as “disgusting.”)
So, why is this allowed to continue? I know it’s a problem in a lot of European leagues, but I’m talking about Italy here — why hasn’t the racism been tackled by the FIGC? Why hasn’t there been an EPL-style anti-racism campaign? Or has there been one that didn’t work? When Marco Zoro was so badly abused by Inter traveling support that he tried to stop the match three years ago, the response was wide condemnation of the behavior of the fans, and a delayed start for the next week’s matches as a protest against racism, but then what? Surely massive fines against clubs and the chucking out of guilty supporters would be a start — is the problem, like a lot of the other ones in the Italian game, so big that it’s impossible to imagine fixing it, and so it’s just ignored?
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Comments
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It’s a problem, and it goes deeper than football.
Both casual and overt racism are still more widespread in certain sectors of Italian society than they are in the US. The reasons for that are myriad, but a major one is that Italy is still struggling to adapt to a country that attracts and relies on immigrants, rather than one that is a net exporter of emigrants. Another, not unrelated, reason is that people of colour tend not to be visible in politics or business.
And Hellas have a particular problem, and have had one for some time, with a hardcore section of their curva having engaged in this kind of thing for years (they also tend to champion hard right politics). I’ve been to a number of games in Verona, and while it is by no means everyone in the curva, there are enough of them to make one cringe (and enough to have caused Hellas to decide not to sign black players in the past, though they now have at least two). And those idiots are unfortunately over-represented in the club’s travelling support. Hellas have made periodic attempts to do something about it, but the club is in such a state of disarray at the moment that it is just about all they can do to put a team on the field.
A number of other clubs have similar problems in dealing with the most unpleasant sectors of their support, and it tends to be worse in the lower divisions. There are periodic anti-racism campaigns (and announcements before every match), yet the problem persists (though I think it is fair to say that things are getting somewhat better, especially as the number of players of colour grows).
It’s depressing.
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Italy
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I think this is a fight Calcio can’t win. In a country where North and South treat eachother like shit (anyone remember the ‘Terremotati’-chants against Udinese?), how can you expect to show respect for players who come from even more south? Hellas have always been a sketchy team on the matter (and their first coloured player was only brought in the 2000’s).
An Italian friend of mine once told me: ‘take away the racist chants, and you take away 25% of the fun’. He (and his entire family, who shared the same view) had a left-wing political orientation. As I said before, a big part of Italy is still (mildly) racist, and as long as you don’t get it out of society’s system, you won’t be getting it out of football.
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Belgium -
To my mind, change in football stadia will be wrought by two things: sheer force of personality, or ulterior motive. If a few people really believe the issue is worth taking up, then they will and they will make a difference. Or when the businessmen come in and recognise that all the racism will not up their profile in the international media, they’ll see to it that it’s clamped down on.
Administrations everywhere are corrupt and lazy. I don’t expect institutional change. What upsets me, perhaps more than I should let it, is that even the players don’t seem to want to take a stand about it. There are no Lilian Thurams left in Serie A anymore. Because I honestly believe that will make a difference. I just don’t see it as being on the *agenda* in Italy, at all. No one seems to care. Can you imagine what would have happened if someone called a superstar like Ibra a filthy gypsy [or whatever it was the Juve fans said in their banner] in England? And yet, I didn’t even hear *him* complain about it. [I may have missed this, of course.] I’m not blaming Zlatan — but the lack of pro-activity and conviction among players [and not just the abused ones] puzzles me, too.
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India -
Nothing personal, but I’m getting sick and tired of all this ‘look at the Premier League, it wouldn’t happen there’-crap. If you’re a Liverpool, Chelsea or Man U-fan, you have to be a member of a fanclub, then get on the waiting list, and then maybe after 8-9 months, you’re picked to buy 120-dollar tickets. Is that what we want? Do we all want to sit on our asses in the stands, not waving banners, not waving flares, getting reprimanded everytime you flip someone off? No thanks. The Prem is like Pamela Anderson: she might look good on the outside, but when you get closer you see it’s all fake and shallow.
And if Britain’s such a great example, try and go to the First Division. Italians can learn something from their racist chants…
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Belgium -
I agree that this is terrible - and now we can better understand Mutu’s shushing gesture at yesterday’s game. Nothing was said on the broadcast during the game - probably because this was nothing out of the ordinary.
I’d like to throw this out there - what would change this? The first possibility that that comes to my mind would be the success of some of the young African-Italian players that are in the pipeline. Maybe this will change the attitude of some fans? (I’m personally not all that optimistic because of the fact that there have been many African players in Italy through the years and this still goes on).
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United States -
That will help (though it is hard for me to see the likes of Balotelli taking up the mantle of someone like Thuram, who is an even more remarkable person than he is a player).
Time will help, just as it did in the US. Prodi has said that he never saw a person of colour before he went to university; that is no longer a possibility for someone growing up in Bologna or any other Italian city, and that is a good thing.
The factors that Roswitha so wisely noted would help. I would love to see a high profile campaign featuring not only Mutu, Ibra, Mancini and Zoro, but Totti, Buffon, Del Piero and Gattuso.
Football can actually lead here, and a chance was lost when Zoro’s protest didn’t result in longer-term initatives, and the authorities chose to focus on flares more than monkey chants.
Though to give the FIGC their due, they are better than their Spanish counterparts in this particular respect (not that that bar is at all high).
PS. You should all read roswitha’s blog, which is absolutely first rate, and just so happens to be discussing a not dissimilar issue in that not as genteel as it seems to outsiders sport, cricket.
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Italy -
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone, I tend to forget about the larger issues of racism in Italy when thinking about calcio, which is obviously an idiotic thing to do. The deep-seatedness of it is incredibly depressing, especially as illustrated by Steven’s friend’s comments. But, while Prodi’s confession is sort of shocking, it seems encouraging to me that he’d admit such a thing, as is the fact that going through life that way is not longer possible.
ursus, I love your idea of bringing together the biggest names and faces in calcio for a campaign, no matter their races or ethnicity. You cannot tell me that people wouldn’t respond to a serious demand for change from that group, particularly given the cred at least some have with ultras.
(And what ursus said about reading roswitha’s blog.)
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United States -
You have to remember that when these fans are so passionate about their team their hate for the opposition takes on new levels. Fans will chant racist things to opposing players, without seeing the irony of the ethnicity of their own team members. They love their team, hate the opposing team, and will speak of the opposition in the most hateful, degrading, and despising tones. Sometimes that includes racism.
Here’s a great example from YouTube of Fiorentina Ultra fans singing gypsy chants against Ibrahimovitch, despite hating opposing fans singing similar chants to Mutu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWT-zx-wK6o The exact words they’re chanting are “Oohh, Zlatan Zingaro” over and over again, which translate to “Zlatan Gypsy”. You have to admit the video is badass, with 40 thousand people singing with such hate… It’s almost beautiful.
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Thanks for the plug, Ursus and Martha! I’m so glad you enjoy the blog — and you’ve just inspired me to write more, Martha.
Steven, my friend, I am the last person you will hear sticking up for the mass of corporate hypocrisy that forms the EPL’s media image. I didn’t mean for my comment to be a reflection on English fans being superior to Italian ones - just that it would be unthinkable for such a glaring example of bad behaviour at a hi-profile game to go unnoticed or unprotested by the English establishment. If a bunch of Arsenal fans had strung up something racist about Cristiano Ronaldo at the Emirates you can be sure everyone at United would have done worse than bay for their blood.
I’m trying not to comment on whether that’s better or worse — after all, it’s not like the Juventini went unpunished — but there does seem to be a much greater willingness to talk about racism in England than there is in Italy.
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India -
Italy isn’t a “melting pot” of nationalities that the US or maybe even Britain are. From my experience, you’re either Italian or you’re not (I won’t even get into the north/south or interregional attitudes.) I think it’s terribly unfortunate that the attitude is that evident (being of Italian descent) but I don’t see that attitude changing there. This is part of the bigger problem of ultra culture, and I hope that the gov’t implements things like the steward system, and banning ticket sales to large groups (of ultras.) People need to evolve! Why should anyone have to feel threatened because they support another team? I’d like to be able to sit next to an opposing fan and not have to worry. I don’t see why anyone should have to light flares or flip anybody off. Call me a pacifist, but come on! At the end of the day, it’s just a game.
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United States -
Serie C has just ruled that Hellas must play their next home match behind closed doors due to the racist chanting at Pro Sesto and warned them that risk a more serious penalty if it occurs again.
A genuine step forward, if you ask me.
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Italy -
Ursus, thanks — I saw that too and put in the news roundup; totally agree it’s a huge step, especially if they follow through with those more severe measures if/when the Next Time comes.
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United States -
Mike, while I believe what you’re saying, I don’t think that any of this stems from passionate support in any way excuses it. In some ways, being willing to shout the same slurs at an opposing player that other supporters shout at your team makes it more repellent, because it’s so mindless.
(And I agree with you, Dave, though the “just a game” stance seems terribly unpopular these days — if you think that, you’re not a true fan, etc.)
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United States -
I know how these chants can be seen as repellent and mindless to most people, and maybe I’m just not normal (but not racist, at least in my eyes), but to me chants of “Ibra the Gypsey” and “Materazzi’s mom is a whore” are both of the same offensive level.
Oh, and here’s some love for you Materazzi haters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jdg-XJv2iI
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Well, except one has racial and ethnic connotations, while the other one doesn’t. If the people who are singing these things consider them the same, it strikes me as another sign of the problem: Racism (for which the club was fined, if I recall correctly) is seen as just a throwaway insult.
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United States -
ok, so i guess i’m part of the problem :) it probably doesn’t help that i spend all day watching videos like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub9R60YyeyI&feature=related
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What Martha said. The “zingaro” thing also has to be viewed in the context of the current campaign blaming Rom (and Romanian) immigrants for a host of social ills; that match was in the immediate aftermath of the murder in Rome and the emergency expulsions. It is a much more politically charged chant than “figlio de puttana” and just isn’t the same.
*as an aside, read Roswitha’s blog on the current controversy in cricket as to whether “bastard” or “monkey” is more offensive, and whether it matters whether one is Indian or Australian.*
One also can’t tar all “ultras” with the same brush; if the Sandri tragedy has taught us anything it is that (and that was something that those of us that go to matches every week didn’t need to learn). And Dave, if you ever make it to Milan, let my 9 year old and I take you to an Inter match (we have season tickets). You will see that there is virtually always at least a couple of opposition supporters sitting in our section, and that they are treated with the respect they merit. Even at the Derby, the ten or so Milanisti who decided to occupy “our” aisle (the view being much better than the seats for which they had tickets) were only asked to pipe down when they started taunting everyone else after the first goal. And when they did, no one had a problem when they stayed there (though they got a taste of their own medicine when the next two went in).
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Italy -
First of all I want to say that I’m romanian and NOT A fkin’ GIPSY. It’s a big difference between a gipsy and a romanian. The gypsies came from India, Pakistan or wherever, a long time ago and settled on Romanian ground, and because we are a very frendly nation we accept then without asking questions. We are a LATHIN NATION, our language is closest to Italian, but we can also understand French, Spanish… To call, for example Adrian Mutu a gipsy, is pure stupidity, that’s why it can’t even be considered an act of racism or nationalist. LOL, stupid racist people, read some history, go to school, learn about romanians and you will notice that Romania is a multinational country. We live in harmony on Romanian solil with hungarians, germans, mongols, rusians, chinese people, japanese, etc, and gipsyes beeing only a small fraction (also the worst). So please don’t juge our contry because of those parasites who have a romanian passport. That doesn’t make them romanians but gipsies nevertheless.
STOP THE RACISM, STOP THE STUPIDITY!Posted from
Japan -
Let me make it simple: Don’t be a bunch of fucking assholes, hellas.
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United States -
Ursus- I’d be happy to take you up on that offer, so long as you don’t mind sitting next to someone in red and black. My comments were based on my experiences while studying in Florence, where I saw Juve play Fiorentina in 1997. Between the flares, tear gas, helicopters, riot police, dogs, etc., I had never realized how serious the problems were. Maybe opposing fans should be made to shake hands before a game- take a lesson in sportsmanship from the players.
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United States -
Not a problem, Dave; I did it at the derby.
And as a long-time Viola supporter, I have no problem admitting that Fiorentina-Juve is a bit of a special situation.
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Italy -
i do think the issue of racism in italian football tends to get overlooked quite a lot. but it is going to take serious sanctions from the italian fa against offenders for the problem to be properly addressed. there are numerous high profile black players in italy now and the issue should not be as prominent as it currently is.
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