The Weekly Take, Issue 43: The FIGC’s Own Goal

Sometimes, things happen in the world of sports that go beyond the game itself.

Regrettably, such an incident took place in the recent Serie A game between Inter Milan and Napoli.

The match finished 1-0 to Inter, with Lautaro Martínez scoring the only goal of the game in stoppage time.

However, to focus on that aspect of the game would both be incredibly offensive and miss the broader point.

Throughout the match, many Inter fans directed racist insults at Napoli player Kalidou Koulibaly. Koulibaly later responded by sarcastically applauding referee Paolo Mazzoleni, who refused to stop the game despite the requests of various Napoli players, as well as Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti. However, not only was Mazzoleni unmoved, but he even handed out a second yellow card to Koulibaly for his response.

This was not the only major flashpoint to take place during this explosive clash.

Before the game, there had been clashes between Inter and Napoli fans outside the stadium. This violence led to the death of one Inter fan. Four Napoli fans were also stabbed.

Incredibly, despite the shocking scenes that took place both before and during the game, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina refused to suspend Serie A action until further notice. The only punishment given was a two-game suspension of fan attendance against Inter Milan, to be followed by a partial closure of the San Siro for the subsequent home game.

By refusing to take a stronger stance regarding such issues, the FIGC has shown blatant disregard for the welfare of players of colour, as well as that of those affected by fan violence.

Time and again, the FIGC has failed to take a hard enough line against such important issues.

In January 2018, the FIGC did not punish Cagliari when their fans directed racist chants towards Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi. The league’s disciplinary record claimed that there was no evidence that Matuidi was the victim of the offensive remarks, despite the fact that Matuidi openly stated that he had the racist volleys targeted at him. Cagliari’s club authorities also apologized to Matuidi for their fans’ actions. Despite being presented with this array of evidence, however, the FIGC did not take any action.

In 2014, the FIGC was once again involved in a racism controversy. Then-FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio received a six-month suspension from UEFA after making offensive comments about African players, whom he believed were stealing roster spots from Italian players.

While racism is certainly present everywhere in the world, the fact that it was the country’s highest football authority who made such remarks highlights the shocking state that Italian football has reached.

The FIGC has also failed to adequately address fan violence.

During last season’s Champions League semifinal between Liverpool and Roma, Liverpool fan Sean Cox was assaulted by Roma fans. Although Cox has not fully recovered from his injuries sustained in the attack to this day, not once did the FIGC do anything to address the issue, nor did they even release a statement condemning the assault.

If we go back even further, once again to 2014, before that year’s Coppa Italia final between Napoli and Fiorentina, a fan tossed smoke bombs at and shot a group of Napoli fans, severely injuring some of them and casting a pall over Napoli’s eventual victory.

To this point, the FIGC has only paid mere lip service to these issues. In the wake of the incidents surrounding the Inter-Napoli match, Gravina claimed that the association would make it easier for referees to halt games in similar instances of offensive epithets launched by fans and also claimed that the incidents would not ruin Italian football.

However, Gravina may have said all the right things, but what have he and his association actually done?

Fan misconduct, whether in the form of racism, violence, or anything else has blighted Italian football for decades. While other countries have experienced similar issues, they have generally made efforts to deal with them; Italy has not.

Although I am understandably sceptical that they will do so, I implore the FIGC to take stock of where Italian football is right now, consider the social problems damaging it, and work towards dealing with these problems and thus prove that the country’s football scene is not beyond saving.