Good morning.
I started this post by staring blankly at the page for a little while. I guess I opened it because I wanted to speak to somebody but did not know who to and about what, so here goes, I speak to a blank internet page.
Yesterday was a night to remember for many reasons, almost the least important being Italy crowned as the champions of Europe for the second time.
Yesterday, to me, was a day like any other but spent with some of the people I care the most about in this little island we call Britain. It was weird being the "odd one out", everyone celebrating the 2 minute goal, everyone excited to see England in a major football final since the 60's, everyone maybe thinking "yeah, mate it's coming home". But I watched and winced and celebrated my native country as I should, hoping that at some point football would change its mind and instead of wanting a bit of fish and chips, it'd settle for a carbonara (settle... I'd kill for a proper carbonara right now) and instead come and learn a bit about Roman architecture once more.
Anyone that watched the final knows how it went and I am not here to talk about it. I don't even care that much about football, but lately Italy has been on a high in any international events and, if you know me, I am definitely someone who is proud of where they're from. I might even have a blue passport, but I am definitely way more Italian than I am British (whatever my friends and family back home say about me!).
Italian teams and Italian athletes have been excelling in many sports, I even ended up watching the Wimbledon final knowing absolutely nothing about tennis.
I've grown up with the idea that international sport should be something that unifies a nation, millions of eyes staring at the same screen feeling like the achievements of those athletes are also your own; but it is what it is... a sport.
Sport is entertaining, stressful, nail biting. But it's a game, in the end. Taking yourselves too seriously can only lead to heartbreak.
Sportsmanship, on the other hand goes a long way. The endless chants of "it's coming home" were the least of my problem in the week leading up to the semi-final and the final. What concerned me is the amount of racial abuse, destruction and just unsporting behaviour shown by fans (either side of the pitch, I swear, I am only more aware of what happened in the UK for obvious reasons, like the fact that I haven't been to Rome since 2019).
It all started with the crying German girl: the amount of abuse I have seen online aimed towards an innocent child was horrendous. They called her Nazi, slut... and other words I shouldn't even repeat.
Then they went on to Denmark. The Danish fans spoke about racial and physical abuse they had to endure whilst leaving Wembley.
And then... the final. This is where I got more "involved", having discussion with British people on a more... personal level.
I have to say, watching the game with 4 British people, I did not feel at all left out, with one of my friends even apologising for cheering at one of the penalties! The politeness of the Brits, right?
But it's what happened in the background, or on the internet, that really upset me. First things first, hiding behind a keyboard is always easier, but getting to the point of calling people names and insulting them for a game of football? A little too far.
Things like this really rub me up the wrong way.
And it didn't just happen towards Italian players, it happened to English players as well. The ones that were being sung as the new saviours of the country, became the target for racial abuse as soon as the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game.
I know these fans are a "loud minority" but until we all condemn their actions and try to make football a safer sport for all minorities, the idea of the graffiti-writing, property-destroying, name-calling football fans will stay.
Can't we learn from sports like rugby?
