It Is Time For The Italian League To Crack Down On Racial Actors
MILAN - All Italian Serie A clubs signed a letter of agreement to address racism that has been increasing this season. This shameful act has sparked worldwide condemnation.
Italian football is known to be slow in dealing with racial issues, Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan), Mario Balotelli (Brescia) and Dalbert (Fiorentina) have been targets of racial abuse this season.
The action by 20 Italian League clubs is a follow-up to the previous campaign, when Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), Moise Kean (Juventus), and Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli) were targets of abuse for their skin color.
Now, representatives from Serie A clubs have attached their names to the open letter. They vowed to go to greater lengths together to eradicate the problem of racism.
The following is the full content of the statement:
"We have to openly admit that we have a serious problem with racism," it read. Launch of Italian Football, Saturday, November 30.
"It's a problem we haven't done enough for in years.
“The practice of racial abuse in Italian football has been seen and discussed around the world this season and it's a shame for us.
“Nobody should be subjected to racial abuse - inside or outside of football - and we can no longer stay silent about this issue or wait for it to magically disappear.
“Driven by the club, positive conversations have been held in recent weeks with Lega Serie A, FIGC and international experts on how to tackle and eradicate this problem from football.
“We, the undersigned club, are united by our desire for serious change and Lega Serie A has expressed its intention to take the lead by providing a comprehensive and robust Serie A anti-racism policy, new stricter legislation and plans. to educate those in the contest about the specter of racism.
“We don't have any more time to waste.
"We must now act swiftly, with purpose and with unity and we call on you, the fans, to support us in this very important endeavor."
This week, Serie A enters its 14th week in which Brescia versus Atalanta will be the opening match played on Saturday at 21.00 WIB.