IN THE NAME OF "SPORT"

By now, footage and reports of the horrific events which took place in Rome in the name of "sport" on Saturday evening have gone around the world. Even here, amid conflicting reports, it has been hard to ascertain exactly what happened, who started it and the timescale, but what is certain is this:

Ahead of the Italian Cup Final between Napoli and Fiorentina on Saturday, there were clashes between fans outside the Stadio Olimpico and three Napoli supporters were injured, one critically. Italian newspapers reported this morning that this fan, Ciro Esposito, may, if he survives, lose the use of his legs. Inside the stadium, the kick-off was delayed because of these events and Napoli captain Marek Hamsik and the authorities appeared to be "negotiating" with the Napoli ultrà leader known as Genny 'a carogna, who is said to have given his "permission" for the game to start. The authorities say they were not negotiating but were informing Genny 'a carogna of Ciro Esposito's condition.

Eventually, and in the presence of Prime Minister Renzi, the Italian national anthem was booed in the stadium and the game started.

This much, as I have said, has been reported internationally. However, I can find no international press reports about the t-shirt that Genny 'a carogna was wearing, nor of the heartbreak that this has caused a Sicilian widow:  The t-shirt slogan read "Free Speziale", a reference to Antonino Speziale, who is serving time for the murder of Sicilian police inspector Filippo Raciti in 2007 during an incident of football violence. Marisa Grasso Raciti told Corriere della Sera that the State seemed to have given in to the will of violent fans on Saturday and that the whole incident was an insult to her husband's memory. She is, understandably, particularly upset by the t-shirt and said that no one in authority had called her to express solidarity or sympathy. As you may imagine, she received a telephone call from Prime Minister Renzi shortly after publication of the interview.

In case anyone is interested, Napoli won the match.

I wrote about the murder of Ispettore Raciti here and here in 2007.

Thanks to Corriere della Sera for making this available:

FATTI DI CRONACA - 8

Bullying leads to a suicide
One week ago I wrote a post highlighting the increasing concern here regarding the level of all types of bullying in schools. I am sad to report that on Tuesday, a 16-year-old boy committed suicide by throwing himself from the window of his family's fourth floor apartment in Turin. The boy, an excellent student, could no longer take cruel taunts from his classmates implying that he was gay. He had also suffered exclusion bullying. He had talked to his mother about the problem and she had done her best to find help for him but the boy had refused to speak to a psychologist. This is what persistent bullying does: in the end, the victim's self -esteem is so lowered that he or she feels unable to talk to anyone. Arcigay, the main Italian gay rights organisation, is saying that the incident exposes only the "tip of the iceberg" and I fear they may be right.

More football violence
I refer, of course, to the horrific scenes that took place during Wednesday's "game" [if it can be called that] between Roma and Manchester United. It seems clear that the Italian police were lacking in de-escalation skills, to say the least, but let us remember that one of their number has recently been killed during an episode of football hooliganism and it is quite possible that they had been ordered to clamp down severely on any violence as soon as it began on Wednesday. In not one of the British TV reports that I have seen regarding the incident has anyone so much as suggested that the United fans should not have been hurling missiles in the first place.

I marinai

It is clear from today's Italian papers that no one here believes Blair's statement that there was "no negotiation and no deal" involved in the return of our sailors and marines and they don't think that we British believe it either! The Italian perspective on such matters is always interesting...

And on a lighter note, something in the news that has a personal resonance this week: her scarves are, indeed, stylish but I want Nancy Pelosi's corsetière to set up shop in Modica, please!