The time has finally come for Serie A to deal with racist fans

Racism has again reared its ugly head inside Serie A stadiums. It’s about time the authorities snuffed out this problem once and for all.

There is so much good stuff going on in Serie A this season. Inter Milan look for real after signing Antonio Conte as coach and disposing themselves of Mauro Icardi. Napoli look to again contend for the title with their mix of veterans and new signings like Mexican international Chucky Lozano. Juventus, despite some issues, are a roster packed with superstars.

So what’s the problem? Turns out a lot.

The product on the field isn’t an issue since the league has seen a renaissance the past few years. What is a problem, and has been for some time, is the racism that emanates from the stands each weekend.

Racism is nothing new in sports, and soccer in particular, but what has transpired in Italy the past few weeks has raised alarm bells. The developments of the past few weeks shed light on some of the causes and excuses surrounding this issue of racist chants emanating from the stands.

Italian police recently arrested 12 Juventus fans were arrested and charged with blackmail, money laundering, and extortion. Investigators in Turin, according to the BBC, say the fans threatened to sing racist chants at games if team officials did not let them buy tickets at a low price so that they could flood the secondary market and make a profit.

The arrests, following a year-long investigation, focused on the so-called “ultras” section of rabid fans at Allianz Stadium. It was just two years ago that Juventus, winners of the last eight Serie A league titles, were fined and ordered to play a match with part of the stadium closed for selling tickets to mafia-linked fan groups.

The problems with fans don’t end there. Three weeks ago, Inter Milan newcomer Romelu Lukaku endured racist chants directed at him from Cagliari fans. Despite the crowd, Lukaku converted the 72nd-minute penalty kick that helped Inter Milan win the game 2-1 at the Sardegna Arena.

After an investigation into the chanting, league officials determined last week that Cagliari will not face any punishment. Shortly after the incident, Inter fans came to their adversary’s defense, saying Cagliari fans were showing Lukaku a form of “respect” and that Italy doesn’t have a problem with racism.

“We are really sorry you thought that what happened in Cagliari was racist,” the group said in a Facebook post.

The controversies stemming from Lukaku’s arrival in Italy from Manchester United has resulted in another high-profile racist incident. It was last week that TV pundit Luciano Passirani, appearing on channel TopCalcio24, said of the new Nerazzurri striker: “The only way to come up against him is maybe give him 10 bananas to eat.”

The 80-year-old commentator was forced to issue an apology and the TV station vowing Passirani will never appear on their channel again.

It’s a start, but so much more needs to be done. It remains to be seen if this growing problem is ever dealt with properly.