The world of football declares war on anti-Semitism: matches halted in the event of racist chanting and a ban on wearing the number 88 shirt, these are some of the measures contained in the declaration of intent signed today at the Viminale by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi , the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi , the National Coordinator for the fight against anti-Semitism Giuseppe Pecoraro and the president of the FIGC Gabriele Gravina .
«Today - Piantedosi explained - we finalize a goal that we set ourselves some time ago. There is a lot to do on the subject and we also aim to dispel the doubt that in the world of sport there may be some resistance or resistance on these issues".
A specific disciplinary, it reads, will define «the methods with which, in the event of anti-Semitic chants, acts and expressions, the interruption of football competitions must be immediately ordered, with the simultaneous communication to the public of the reasons for the interruption through a specific announcement made by means of loudspeakers and displays".
Among the measures is the ban on wearing the number 88 shirt , which is the one used by neo-Nazi groups to symbolize the greeting "Heil Hitler" (h is the eighth letter of the alphabet).
Here is the list of planned measures.
- Insert in the Code of Ethics an explicit reference to the definition of anti-Semitism of the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) and to the inadmissibility of any anti-Semitic attitude or expression by members, members, organized fans, before, during and after the demonstrations sports, providing for an adequate system of sanctions.
- Do not give players the shirt with the number 88, considered an explicit reference to Nazi symbology.
- Prohibit the use by the supporters of any symbol that may recall the concepts relating to Nazism and anti-Semitic hatred.
- Make members of sports clubs responsible for using non-discriminatory language in all
