FIGC President Gabriele Gravina wants to change the approach to bad behaviour in stadiums by “isolating bad apples, not punishing collectively.”
The way Italian football deals with violence and racism has come under fire, as there are no reliable rules allowing clubs or local authorities to remove someone from a game.
They can be penalised afterwards, but more often than not the reaction is to ban entire sections of the stadium, infuriating those who have done nothing wrong.
FIGC President Gabriele Gravina wants to change the approach to bad behaviour in stadiums by “isolating bad apples, not punishing collectively.”
The way Italian football deals with violence and racism has come under fire, as there are no reliable rules allowing clubs or local authorities to remove someone from a game.
They can be penalised afterwards, but more often than not the reaction is to ban entire sections of the stadium, infuriating those who have done nothing wrong.
“Last Sunday, during Inter–Bologna, there were some racist jeers in the stands,” said Gravina at a university lecture on the subject of safety in sport.
“With the previous rules, there would’ve been a ban for the club, but the intervention of the ‘good’ part of the crowd was decisive. The disciplinary committee deserves praise for rewarding healthy support.
“The new rules are a real revolution for Italy. We want to reward those who cheer on their teams in the right way, which is a different message to the threat of further sanctions. We must set up a mechanism of positive values, isolating individual bad apples rather than punishing collectively.
“Our rules are now more stringent. We’ve got to identify the people who behave this way and ensure they never set foot in a stadium again.
“We’ll soon also have a new code of the sporting justice system. If someone complains, we’ll just have to deal with it. Our politics inevitably moves slowly and with small steps, but we’ve started this process now and we won’t stop.”