The haze of racial discrimination on Italy's green fields is so common that even Italian soccer superstar Marchisio has spoken out about it.
Looking back at last week's Serie A, Roma fans shouted "You're a gypsy" at Sampdoria coach Stankovic, an act that was immediately stopped by Roma coach Jose Mourinho. And this week's Coppa Italia semi-final first round, Juventus fans discriminated against Inter Milan's black striker Romelu Lukaku, who remained silent during the penalty shootout but was red-carded by the referee for his protests.
In an Instagram post, Marchisio said, "We have a huge anti-discrimination apparatus with creative slogans, emotional campaigns, commemorations, and press releases issued by communication agencies. Yet, every day of the soccer game, we can't stop the 'idiots' on the pitch from making discriminatory chants."
He further emphasized, "We can't look at this discrimination separately from the so-called 'tifo' culture and really put ourselves in the shoes of those who hear the 'black' chants at every game. For gypsy players, we can't understand that these discriminations have nothing to do with 'tifo' culture. Either you're not a racist or you're one of those assholes on the pitch. If you're the latter, stay off the pitch. Against racism."
