Controversy and disappointment erupted from the management of two Veneto football teams, which also involved the regional FIGC, after a referee asked two young foreign athletes for residence permits before taking the field.

It happened in the Padua area, where last Sunday the local team, San Fidenzio Polverara, faced San Precario, on the thirteenth day of the Second Category championship.

When the players were identified, which was done by presenting their "lists," the referee allegedly asked the visiting team manager to show him the residence permits of the two non-EU players.

" An episode bordering on the absurd ," said the president of the San Precario sports club, Roberto Mastellaro. "I don't know if the referee made the mistake due to carelessness or his intended outcome. But we found it discriminatory: in 18 years, it's never happened to me. We also have another player in the squad with dual English and Slovakian citizenship, but unlike the two black players, no charges were made for him."

Mastellaro then emphasized that his "is an anti-racist team and therefore particularly sensitive to certain issues. We are concerned," he noted, "that the often discriminatory statements of those who govern us authorize certain 'characters' to act in unsolicited and unexpected ways, perhaps convinced they are in the right when in fact their behavior reveals profound racism."

The incident was also confirmed by the home team's directors : "The referee's request - added Daniele Trivellato, secretary of Polverara San Fidenzio - seemed really strange to me."

Meanwhile, the federal officials have been informed and have reserved the right to conduct a more in-depth investigation. "I asked Mastellaro," explained the head of the Veneto FIGC, Giuseppe Ruzza , "to write me a few lines about what happened and give me time to research and learn more."

"This is an incident I need to verify before proceeding," noted AIA Veneto president Tarcisio Serena, "but absolutely no residence permit should ever be requested by the referee : he's not a bailiff. There are four ways to identify a member: an identity document, a federal membership card, direct acquaintance by the referee, and a photo of the member certified by the municipality."

(Unioneonline)

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