The Italian football world is again experiencing racism within its ranks. A series of players have been subject to racist abuse by fans, with little or no response from clubs, officials, or the media. Hard-core fans claim they have the right to abuse players any way they want, and certain clubs deny that racism even exists.
Finally, Lega Serie A, the organization that oversees the country’s highest division, launched an anti-racism campaign, but the campaign itself has been accused of racism. One of the initiatives in the campaign uses the image of a series of monkey faces in club colors. The image was created by artist Simone Fugazzotto, who often uses monkeys and apes in his work.
But people of African descent have long been dehumanized by calling them "monkeys", and several players in Italy’s top league have been victims of monkey chants. So the image perpetuates the very racism it is supposed to combat. Anti-discrimination network Football Against Racism in Europe calls the initiative "a sick joke".
Even now, the fight against racism continues.
