Shame For Italy

[mouhajir]

Matches in Italy kicked off five minutes late yesterday as players protested about racism on the terraces. It was a show of support for Ivory Coast defender Marco Zoro, who was reduced to tears while playing for Messina in Serie A last Sunday after Internazionale fans directed monkey chants at him.

The 21-year-old threatened to walk off the pitch, but was persuaded to stay by Inter's Brazil forward Adriano and Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins.

There is a history of black players being abused by football fans in Italy. Julio Cesar, the Brazilian who played for Juventus, was pelted with oranges and subjected to monkey noises when he was carried off with a broken leg in Naples in the early 1990s and former Arsenal and AC Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira, who now plays for Juventus, said he could 'smell the racist atmosphere' when he played for Milan in 1996.

Last December, Uefa ordered Lazio to play their next European game behind closed doors as punishment for the racist chants of fans during the match against Partizan Belgrade, but such behaviour, which is largely orchestrated by extreme right-wing groups known as the Ultras, does not appear to be abating. There have been anti-racist initiatives - Treviso players have even blacked up their faces as a show of support for a Nigerian team-mate hit by bananas - but it has all been rather half-hearted and yesterday's delayed kick-offs hardly seemed an adequate response to the ordeal suffered by Zoro.

Clubs are responsible for fans' behaviour and Inter could face punishment ranging from a fine to a stadium ban or a deduction of league points. Opinion in Italy remains divided over whether such strong sanctions are necessary. Roma coach Luciano Spalletti and Fiorentina striker Luca Toni were among those who argued last week that it would be wrong to make too much of such incidents because racists thrive on exposure.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said the game should have been suspended, but Empoli president Fabrizio Corsi said that such a move could cause worse public order problems. 'You could suspend a match played in front of a few thousand fans, but what would happen at San Siro?' he said.

Other players have sympathised with Zoro, but said that being insulted by fans of an opposing team is part of the game and happens to white players, too.

Zoro, who has played for the Sicilian club for three years, is considering an offer from the Italian Professional Footballers' Association to join their executive and to help to come up with initiatives to battle racism. He has hit back at claims that he overreacted and said that football authorities are hypocrites for not doing enough to counter racism.

'I cannot stand it that people go to the stadium to insult players instead of to enjoy themselves,' he said. 'I have had enough. The rules are there and they should be applied. That's why I asked the referee and the fourth official to stop the game, but they didn't listen to me.'

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/sport...657399,00.html


Its really not new for me who lived there for a moment!!

[aswad]

I don't know nothing about all this because I don't follow football but I can say only this :

I would prohibit this sport in Italy because, every day, it bring only violence on violence.
Every time there is football, always there is violence, too much youg people do it and nobody do nothing for to prevent this. Much times young boys died for this and for waht ? is right to die for a game of footbal ???
And also : is right that the players of footbal taken sooooo much money ? for what ? for run behind a ball ????
I will put all them to work in mine, so they could understand what mean to work.

[mouhajir]

hi aswad,

the problem is not football, we are talking about racism

[razrif]

i could just see Totti and co
down a coal mine lol

By the way
Aswad my beloved
Totti resembles Razza a lotti!

[aswad]

Originally Posted by mouhajir

hi aswad,

the problem is not football, we are talking about racism

I'm sorry for what happened but what I wanted say was that this happen not only for racism but also agaist italian men, young men that go to see the player.

Anyway I can't tell much about all what happen because like I said, I don't follow football, I don't like it.

[aswad]

I read now the article in Italian site, now I undertsna very well what you are saying and I'm agree with you.

[mouhajir]

what hert me, and it really hert me, is when i saw the news; they showed the footballer "Zoro" and he is leaving the stadium in tears!! its really so painful and sad!