Italian football had an intense day on Tuesday. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi signed a declaration of intent to put an end to anti-Semitic attitudes in the world of football.
Together with the National Coordinator for the fight against anti-Semitism, Giuseppe Pecoraro, and FIGC President Gabriele Gravina, up to 13 rules have been established, including a ban on the use of the number 88.
For context, the number 88 is used with anti-Semitic intentions to refer to Adolf Hitler, as the two 8s are used with reference to the position of the letter H in the dictionary. Thus, the 88 refers to HH, the initials of the expression ‘Heil Hitler’. In addition, Minister Piantedosi made it known that “the use by fans of symbols that may be reminiscent of Nazism is forbidden”.
Thus, footballers such as Mario Pasalic and Tomas Rincon, among others, will be forced to wear a different number on their team shirts.
This controversy has already had several episodes in Italy, with the likes of Lazio and Hellas Verona having had being involved in anti-Semitic abuses in the past.
The latter, moreover, was the protagonist last season of a case in which its members paid tribute to Mateusz Praszelik, a Polish footballer who unknowingly decided to wear the number 88.
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