Mazzola: Marchisio Also Speaks Out Against His Former Fans: “You Have to Respect History”
The day after the minute of silence for Mazzola—which many Juventus ultras failed to observe—Claudio Marchisio took a stand with an Instagram post: “There are things that, when you truly love soccer, you find hard to accept. What happened yesterday is one of them. Sandro Mazzola is a part of our soccer history. And history must be respected.”
“I owe a huge part of my life to Juventus and its fans. I know how much love, passion, and respect lie behind that jersey. And that’s precisely why I believe it’s right to say, without hesitation, that actions like yesterday’s shouldn’t happen. Rivalry is passion, a sense of belonging, and pride. But it can never overshadow respect—for the man, for the champion, for everything Sandro has represented for Italian soccer. And yesterday, both at the stadium and at home, the voice of so many was one of applause. This is what sports should do in moments like these. “Unite.”
The day after Juventus vs. Atalanta, the front page of Tuttosport focused primarily on what happened before the game—an incident that editor Guido Vaciago described in his editorial as “uncivilized.” “Desecrating the memory of a champion is a cowardly act, because it is committed against the memory of the deceased and against those who cannot defend themselves. Not to mention that it is completely and foolishly wrong. First: The minute of silence is a moment to stand in silence in the face of a person’s death (and, fortunately, three-quarters of the stadium showed composure and emotion).
“In one’s heart, one can fill that silence however one wishes: no one is required to express it; everyone is asked to do and say nothing for just under a minute, precisely to leave that freedom to each individual. Second: Gaetano Scirea, whom those in the South Stand were cheering for, would never have approved of such behavior in any way; on the contrary, he would have been deeply ashamed of it. Incidentally, a little knowledge of history would have made it clear that Scirea, as a child, rooted for Inter precisely because he was a fan of Mazzola, whom he tried to imitate in his early days as a central midfielder. Third: if one demands respect—which is indeed often lacking—for the victims of the Heysel disaster, who are disrespected with unpleasant frequency in Italian stadiums, one must show that same respect in return. Otherwise, the request lacks credibility. It’s an entirely legitimate request, because the righteous outrage that has erupted since yesterday afternoon over the desecration of the minute of silence in honor of Mazzola should be directed just as strongly at the chants, banners, scarves, and flags that have been mocking the Heysel tragedy for the past forty years. Rarely has it been written about, almost never discussed on TV, and very few in the media world view it as a serious problem—even though the memory of those who died and their families should be defended just as vigorously. Beyond the outrage, we need to understand why such a despicable act could even cross someone’s mind.”
“We cannot pretend that everything that has been done to Juventus—and that has not been done to other teams—has slipped by the collective conscience of the Juventus fanbase without leaving a trace. The disparities in treatment—from sports justice to the media—have carved out a dangerous rift, in which vile and petty behaviors, such as the boycott of a minute of silence, can take root. Be careful—in fact, be very careful: this is not an attempt to justify anything, but rather to offer a sociological explanation of what happened, in an effort to understand the situation, without limiting ourselves to rhetorical condemnation. Italian soccer has a problem that, for far too many years, it has pretended not to see. It can certainly continue to avoid providing plausible explanations to those subjected to such disparate treatment, but it should not be surprised if that rift becomes ever deeper, darker, and more dangerous,” Vaciago concluded.
