The clash between Juventus and Fiorentina was briefly interrupted on Sunday due to racist insults aimed at Dusan Vlahovic, Juve's Serbian striker and former Viola star. The referee quickly acted to calm the situation, a sign that this scourge persists despite efforts…
This Sunday afternoon, the Serie A match between Juventus Turin and Fiorentina experienced a sad incident. After only 7 minutes of play, referee Maurizio Mariani was forced to briefly stop the match due to racist insults coming from the stands and aimed at Serbian Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
According to information reported by the DAZN platform, it was supporters of Fiorentina, Vlahovic's former club, who allegedly uttered these discriminatory insults. The referee immediately reacted by stopping the game and calling the two captains to inform them of his decision.
A strong message broadcast in the stadium
In order to put an end to this unacceptable behavior, a message was broadcast within the Allianz Stadium, calling on spectators to immediately stop these racist chants. Meanwhile, players from both teams gathered in the central circle as a sign of solidarity and rejection of any form of discrimination.
After a few minutes of interruption, calm returned to the stands and the referee was able to give the kick-off for the match to resume.
The tenacious resentment of the Viola fans
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Dusan Vlahovic has been targeted by some supporters of his former club. Since his transfer to Juventus in January 2022, the Serbian striker has crystallized the resentment of the Viola fans who have not forgiven him for this departure to the sworn enemy.
Already last season, Fiorentina had received a sanction, with the closure of a stand at its stadium for a suspended match, due to racist chants targeting Vlahovic and two other Juventus players. A sad observation which shows that despite awareness campaigns, racism remains a scourge in Italian Football.
Racism, a recurring evil in football
This incident unfortunately occurs in a context where racist acts are still too frequent in Serie A stadiums. In recent years, many players have been victims of discriminatory insults, without the sanctions taken being able to definitively eradicate this phenomenon.
In 2019, Inter Milan Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku was notably the target of monkey cries during a match in Cagliari. More recently, last September, it was AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Junior Messias who was targeted with racist insults during a match at Atalanta Bergamo.
Racism is a vice of society and soccer is only one part of society. We are all involved, educators, politicians and everyone who works in soccer.
– Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach
Faced with this scourge, Italian football authorities are trying to react by toughening sanctions, such as matches behind closed doors or withdrawals of points, but it is clear that there is still a long way to go. It is essential that all stakeholders, clubs, players, supporters, media, unite and actively engage in this crucial fight.
Towards collective awareness?
This umpteenth racist incident during Juventus-Fiorentina must serve as an electric shock and cause a real start within the calcio. It is high time to move from words to action and put in place strong and concrete measures to stem this evil which is eating away at football.
Education, prevention, sanction: it is on these three pillars that the fight against racism in stadiums must be based. Clubs have an essential role to play by carrying out in-depth work with their supporters, from a very young age. Players and coaches must also continue to speak out on this subject, to raise awareness of the seriousness of such acts.
Finally, the governing bodies, starting with the Italian Football Federation, must be uncompromising in imposing exemplary sanctions against those at fault. Only general mobilization and zero tolerance will make it possible to definitively eradicate this scourge from sports venues.
The interruption, even brief, of Juventus-Fiorentina this Sunday due to racist insults is a painful reminder that the battle is far from won. But it also testifies to the fact that mentalities are changing, like the rapid reaction of the referee. Let us hope that this umpteenth alarm signal is finally heard and creates a new dynamic to put racism out of the game once and for all.
