Italian Soccer Takes “Zero Tolerance” Stand Against Racist Fans

Italian soccer is set to take a strong stand against racist fans with a “zero tolerance” approach. Luigi De Siervo, the head of Serie A, has said that technology will be used to help identify offenders and ban them from stadiums. The issue of racist abuse of players is at the forefront of European soccer after Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr was targeted during a recent match against Valencia in Spain. De Siervo acknowledged that a certain percentage of racist people exist not only in stadiums but also in society. But with the help of technology and stadium microphones, fans can be heard and punished if they make racist comments. De Siervo compared it to battling a tumour where you have to systematically remove it even if it has recurrences.

The recent issue of racist abuse during an Italian Cup semi-final match with Juventus fans hurling abuse at Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku resulted in around 170 fans being banned. De Siervo considers this part of the “path to zero tolerance” for racists.

It has been decided that Italy will invest €10 million ($11 million) to promote Serie A abroad and to use the sponsorship to support its own “Made in Italy” export. This decision comes as Serie A has been dropping behind England’s Premier League and Spain’s La Liga in earnings power. Additionally, Italian soccer has struggled with fan violence and other scandals. Despite this, De Siervo is optimistic about the league’s future. He points to recent investment by overseas funds as evidence that Serie A is on the way back. He also notes that Italian clubs have been present in the three major European finals this season, underscoring the league’s recovery.

The recent inquiry into Juventus docked the team 10 points. However, De Siervo believes this is part of Italy’s attempt to tackle an industry-wide issue. He claims that Italy is the “only mature country that looks at the problem and tries to solve it for the future.”

Italian soccer is taking a strong stance against racism with a “zero tolerance” approach and technology will aid in identifying offenders and banning them from stadiums. The Italian government will also invest €10 million ($11 million) to promote Serie A abroad while adhering to its “Made in Italy” export promotion. The league has suffered from fan violence and other scandals but is slowly recovering. Despite Juventus being docked points, Serie A’s head is optimistic about the league’s future and notes that the inquiry highlights Italy’s efforts to tackle a problem affecting the entire industry.

Credit: reuters.com

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