Italy has a serious racism problem and with Carlos Tavecchio named the new president of the Italian Football Federation, the problem just got a whole lot worse.
Tavecchio was recently quoted in an Italian newspaper saying that England “identifies the players coming in and, if they are professional, they are allowed to play. Here, on the other hand, let’s say there’s [fictional player] Opti Poba, who has come here, who previously was eating bananas and now is a first-team player for Lazio … In England he has to demonstrate his CV and his pedigree.”
Despite this and other racist and sexist remarks, he was still elected president of the FIGC last week.
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The 71-year-old’s attitude is reminiscent of an old Italy, still haunted by World War II, fascist ideology, and the ghost of Benito Mussolini. Many Italians have long hoped to eradicate the racist undercurrents that simmer just beneath the surface of Italian culture. But it’s not just Italy’s president of football who has an issue with non-white players—a number of Italian fans do, too.
There are some interesting (and scary) facts about Italy that may begin to shed light on why a small, but potentially growing, group of soccer fans insist on bringing racial issue into the stadiums.
Since 1992, citizenship is withheld from anyone born in Italy without an Italian citizen parent. Children born to non-Italian parents can only apply for citizenship after they’ve turned 18. This explains why Mario Balotelli, who was born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents but raised by adopted Italian parents, wasn’t allowed to represent Italy at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His 18th birthday was four days after the opening ceremony.
Economically speaking, Italy is a mess. Since 2009, the youth unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 43.7 percent. At the same time, a recent influx of immigrants into Italy has created a more visible foreign presence (immigrants make up only 7.5 percent of the Italian population, compared to Canada’s 20.6 percent). With Italian jobs scarce, fear and protectionism reignite racist attitudes that existed long before the financial crash.
Jobless, frustrated, and desperate, fans flock to soccer matches seeking entertainment and escape. The stadium is often where emotions and racial tensions come to a head.
Of course, the problem is also cultural. While Italy may come across as mono-cultural, many townships hate the neighbouring township almost as much as they hate non-Italians. Campanilismo (derived from the Italian word for bell tower and the belief that “my tower is taller than yours”) is as much a part of Italian culture as olive oil. And despite a large portion of Italians who respect and appreciate foreign cultures, deeply entrenched xenophobia still shows up in the stadium terraces.
AC Milan offers a telling case study. Last season, Kevin Constant and Kevin-Prince Boeteng, who are both black, walked off the field in response to harassment from spectators. According to Boeteng, racist behavior is something that “happens every game.” One match was suspended for 97 seconds as officials dealt with racist chants against Balotelli. According to the rumour mill, after less than two years with the team, Balotelli would welcome a move out of Italy.
Of course, the abuse isn’t new. Marco Zoro, another black player, walked off the pitch in 2005 during a match between Messina and Inter Milan. In 2001, the entire Treviso roster painted their faces black (a well-intentioned but perhaps poorly-conceived move) in support of teammate Akeem Omolade who suffered racist taunts during his debut match against Ternana Calcio.
So, is it possible for things to get better or are they about to take a turn for the worse?
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Amidst criticism and an impending investigation ordered by FIFA, Tevecchio told the FIGC, “I will be a president for everybody, and especially for those who have legitimately expressed their dissent about me taking the job.”
For Damiano Tomassi, president of the Italian Professional Footballers Association, that’s not good enough. In statements made to FIFPro, Tomassi said, “If you want to launch any campaign against racism in the future, you have to attack Tavecchio’s remarks with force.”
Apparently, UEFA agrees. On Wednesday, European soccer’s governing body released a statement indicating that Tavecchio has “been personally informed by UEFA about the decision of its chief ethics and disciplinary inspector to open a disciplinary investigation on alleged racist comments made by him during his FIGC presidential election campaign.”
UEFA has an opportunity to prove that racism will not be tolerated and opening an investigation is a good place to start. After all, the consequence of guarding the status quo could be more serious than bad PR; some of the world’s best athletes may refuse to play for a country that won’t fight to make them feel at home.