We're all with Balotelli
Vote: captain for a night?
Even a simple gesture can conquer racism. Here's what Gazzetta suggests: let's give the football superstar the captain's armband for the Germany-Italy friendly due to be played in February 2011 in Dortmund.
MILAN, 19 November 2010 - Gazzetta has thought up a way to fight racism. The idea is to give Mario Balotelli the captain's armband for a night when Italy take on Germany for a friendly on 19 February 2011 in Dortmund. Yes, that's what we said, make Mario captain for a night.
Supermario for captain — On Wednesday night in Klagenfurt, Prandelli was about to go out on the pitch to embrace Balotelli booed by racist chants. The Italian team will do it the next time it happens as you can only fight hate with strong gestures. We have another one too: Mario captain for a night in February's friendly against Germany. So there are no black Italians? Yes there are, and they represent us. Balotelli is one of us. In these cases it is usual to say, "let's not make an issue of it" but this time, let's make it an issue. Football stadium racists, have a look here at the shameful insults you chanted at Klagenfurt. "There are no Italian Negroes", "Italians only in Italy", We don't want a multi-ethnic Italy". Proud of yourselves? We're repeating them because we know there's no danger of them spreading, as the majority of Italians actually accept the multi-ethnic country that these extreme nationalists refuse. We accept them because we're used to seeing at school, in offices, in factories, in bars, children or workers who might have been born elsewhere and maybe have different colour or shape of eyes, but who are living the same life we do, in the same Italy we share. They help us, we help them, just like a team. Reading those chants again just rankles you even more. The national squad, being a mixing pot of people from different places, is in itself a message of integration. It's just a shame that it's followed abroad by the fanatics championing a warped kind of xenophobic nationalism. Ivan the Serbian and his friends who burned Albanian flags in Marassi were labelled "animals"; well, we've got our share too. Why can't we just drown them out en masse in a sea of Italian families travelling to away games? Why is it that every time Holland and Ireland play away, they are followed by hordes of fun-loving orange and green supporters sporting wigs and horns, whilst all we export are extremists? Can't the Italian Football Federation do something to encourage normal fans to travel with their team, fans who can drown out in applause or regular football chants the racist insults and jeers? Thank goodness that indignation over this kind of incident is gradually rising. On Wednesday, Prandelli was about to go out on the pitch to embrace Balotelli who was being made the target of a hate campaign. His exasperate team mates will do it the next time he is booed. They've already agreed. It's time for commitment and strong symbols. We have another one too: Balotelli captain on 9 February in Dortmund, against Germany. This would prove that not only are there black Italians, but they represent us too. The first black captain. Balotelli is one of us: a very strong message for just one night, then he can hand it back to who really deserves to have it. Mario was born in Italy, but he had to wait 18 years for a document proving his nationality: that armband will be fine on him.