ROME — Just two weeks away from the eagerly-anticipated top-of-the-table 'derby of Italy' between Inter Milan and Juventus a new racism row is brewing.
The corresponding fixture last season at Turin's Olympic stadium saw sections of Juve fans racially abusing Inter's Italian striker of Ghanaian origin Mario Balotelli.
The teenager had annoyed the crowd with some typically impetuous actions on the pitch but Juventus's failure to take active measures to put a halt to the chants saw them penalised and forced to play their next home match behind closed doors.
Balotelli has since become Juve fans' favourite villain and is often the target of abuse.
On Sunday night during the 1-0 home win against Udinese, some sections chanted: "se saltelli muore Balotelli".
Roughly that translates as: if you jump up and down Balotelli will die.
While not actually racist in its content it was certainly distasteful and dredged up unpleasant memories from last season.
Juventus, possibly worried by the implications of the chant, responded by announcing over the loudspeaker: "no to racism", and will be keen to point out that they are eager supporters of Unesco's 'kick racism out of football' campaign.
And while they will almost certainly escape punishment for this episode it will leave a sour taste in the mouth and cannot but stoke the fires of an already bitter rivalry.
All parties were quick to condemn the chants with Juve's Malian midfielder Momo Sissoko saying after the game: "It's absurd chanting against a player who isn't even on the pitch.
"I hope certain things won't happen again," he said referring to the racist chants of last year.
Juve boss Ciro Ferrara was more reserved in his response, making an allusion to chants directed against him and his team-mates during his time at Napoli, relating to the fact that Naples is close to the Vesuvius volcano.
"I am against any kinds of insults and racial discrimination but if you go to football matches it shouldn't shock you, these are chants that you hear in all stadiums," he said.
"I was a player and I remember the chant: Vesuvius burnt everyone. I remember it and it hurt.
"It's true the fans pay to come in but that doesn't give them the right to offend."
Two reasons suggest that Juventus will not face a penalty for these latest chants, firstly that they did try to do something about it and secondly the chants were very different in nature from those of last year: "a black man can't be Italian."
ユベントスのウルトラが歌っている「ジャンプをするとバロテッリが死ぬ」というチャント。これ自体は人種差別には当たらないと判断されたが、個人攻撃としてユベントスに罰金というペナルティが課された。ブーイングならともかく、人格否定にもつながりかねないチャントだけに当局も重く見たのだろう。
他のクラブでもバロテッリに対するチャントはあるのだが、それについては今のところ何もペナルティは課されていない。ユベントスに対するペナルティで全体を引き締めようという感覚があるようにも思える。
もちろん、ひどいチャントに対しては厳罰で寛容０で当たらなければならないとは思うが、それだけでは根本的な問題解決にはならないだろう。
何が原因かをしっかりと探るべき。北イタリアは比較的裕福だと言われているが、イタリアは失政もあって経済的な問題を抱えている。そのために純粋にサッカーを楽しめず、他人をバカにすることでしか憂さを晴らせないのかもしれないからだ。
そういうきちんとした解決を望みたいものだが。
Juventus docs face 3 month ban for doping offenses(Associated Press)
TURIN, Italy — The Italian Olympic Committee's anti-doping commission has recommended that two doctors with soccer club Juventus be banned for three months for doping violations.
Bartolomeo Goitre and Luca Stefanini stand accused of breaking Italy's anti-doping code, a note on CONI's Web site said on Thursday.
In October the pair were held responsible for Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro failing a doping test. Cannavaro was given medicine containing cortisone after he was bitten by a mosquito, but failed to submit the required extenuating circumstances form.
こちらはファビオ・カンナバーロのドーピング疑惑について、CONI(イタリアオリンピック委員会)はチームドクターのふたりに３カ月の職務停止命令を出した。
治療のための投薬でそれ自体は問題ではなかったのだが、書類の提出が遅れたことなどが問題になった模様。
ユベントスという大きなクラブの医療施設なら手続きはきちんとしているはずだが、それが機能していなかったことがはっきりしてしまった。いったい何をやっているのかということになる。
先日の負けもすべて、一連の不祥事に対するペナルティと思うことにする。これで膿は全部出した。これ以上の悪いことが出てこないことを祈りたい。
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