On Wednesday, Everton revealed an anti-racism banner organised by fan group County Road Bobblers with a picture of Moise Kean and the message “No Al Razzismo” (No to Racism in Italian) that will be on display for the game against Manchester City.
Paid for by crowdfunding, the banner has been well-received throughout the world, including the player’s home country where, for example, Corriere dello Sport dedicated half a page to it in their Thursday edition.
The decision to do this came after the player moved to Goodison Park, to show their support against the actions of Cagliari fans, who racially abused the young forward last season when he played for Juventus.
The frequency of these events has been a problem in Italian football, with Romelu Lukaku the latest high-profile player to be subjected to racial abuse during a game, and questions have been raised as to how this can be avoided going forward.
💙 | This banner will be shown at Goodison on Saturday 👇
Great work by @CBobblers1878.@kickitout #alltogethernow #NoAlRazzismo
👉 https://t.co/b4o3NU6Fsb pic.twitter.com/DQjgBNOsKc
— Everton (@Everton) September 24, 2019
In a statement, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Carlo Sibilia, tried to reassure the public by stating work was being done to address the issue, but his words didn’t come across as the most tactful (see last paragraph of quotes below).
He said, relayed by Irpinia Times: “I am sure I can assure the full availability to the Minister of Sport, Vincenzo Spadafora, and to the President of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravina, so that we can develop the best strategies, with the support of the competent technical structures, aimed at limiting racist and/or violent incidents during sporting events.
“The objective is clear: to promote a different sport culture among young people, to turn it into a moment of union and sharing. We already promoted several meetings aimed at developing security protocols during the previous government with the colleague Simone Valente. Among these, the one with the National Observatory was certainly very important, as it allowed to see first-hand how the subject of security and racism is being heard within the institutions in the context of these events.
“Even today, these issues are highly topical and require a synergistic commitment between the various ministries and the sports federations. Sport must bring out the best in Italy, not the worst. I really don’t feel like taking lessons, among others, from Everton fans. We are better than that.”
