On 5 January 2020, Mario Balotelli scored his first goal of the New Year, which was promptly tainted by racist insults from rival fans. From this point of view, Mario is not lucky: throughout his entire football career, in Italy and abroad, he has been the object and target of numerous racist insults. Some episodes are particularly serious, such as that of 3 November 2019, when he played against Hellas Verona. Mario, charged with the double “responsibility” of being a black footballer in the Italian championship and in the Italian national team, becomes a symbol for all the other “Balotelli” who, in the history of recent football, have been, like him, victims of choruses, banners and racist insults. The contribution recalls only some of them, pointing out that, unfortunately, over the years, the situation seems to have worsened, despite the proclamations. If, about 20 years ago, there was a feeble reaction to racism, today it’s no longer there. The sick relationship of Italian football with racism is based on a continuous and stubborn self-absolution. Download the file to learn more about this exemplary case of racism in the sport world.
