Warning: Some of the tweets discussed in this article contain highly offensive and derogatory language. We show them here in order to discuss the issue of racism in soccer, but discretion is advised.
This past Sunday, Manchester United were up two goals in the 57th minute, before allowing four straight goals to newly promoted Leicester City to suffer a 3-5 loss.
For those who don’t support the Red Devils, or don’t have a soft spot for the team, it was (at the minimum) an ironic circumstance. The Premier League's most popular, money-splurging power house choked a two goal lead to a team who is enjoying their first appearance in the Premier League since 2003.
Mario Balotelli was one of the people who thought the game was a laughing matter and took to Twitter to express his thoughts.
Man utd ... LOL
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) September 21, 2014
Then, all hell broke loose. Here is a list of responses to Balotelli's tweet.
Mario Balotelli trolls Man Utd. Gets this in return. pic.twitter.com/rY2qK8GXOZ
— Dave Phillips (@lovefutebol) September 21, 2014
From our perspective, it’s sad and pathetic that fans get so emotionally involved as to think writing racist, derogatory statements to players is OK. We've written at length about the topic of racism in soccer and, sadly, this latest incident is just another indicator of how far we have to go before we truly kick this kind of ugliness out of the game.
The situation is now being investigated by the Merseyside Police and was talked about among the British antiracism group Kick It Out:
We can confirm officers are looking into offensive comments made on Twitter about Mario Balotelli earlier today
— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) September 21, 2014
Kick It Out is aware of racist tweets directed @FinallyMario and will be reporting to the authorities. Thanks to all who have alerted us.
— Kick It Out (@kickitout) September 21, 2014
Mario Balotelli is no stranger to racist comments. Super Mario received a plethora of them during his time in Italy, when he played for AC Milan. The Italian striker even said that he vowed to walk off the pitch if he was racially abused at a football game. Below is a excerpt from teammate Andrea Pirlo’s autobiography about Mario Balotelli and racism:
“I’m not sure he really appreciates it yet, but he’s a special kind of medicine, an antidote to the potentially lethal poison of the racists you find in Italian grounds. They’re a truly horrendous bunch, a herd of frustrated individuals who’ve taken the worst of history and made it their own. And they’re more than just a minority, despite what certain mealy-mouthed spin doctors would have you believe. Those guys would use a fire extinguisher to put out a match.
Whenever I see Mario at an Italy training camp, I’ll give him a big smile. It’s my way of letting him know that I’m right behind him and that he mustn’t give up. A gesture that means ‘thank you.' He’s often targeted and insulted by opposition fans. Let’s say that the way he goes about his business perhaps doesn’t help him get much love, but I’m still convinced that if he was white, people would leave him in peace.
‘Jump up high so Balotelli dies’ is an unspeakable chant that, sadly, I’ve heard at the Juventus Stadium amongst other places. Even worse are the monkey noises that I’ve listened to pretty much everywhere. But instead of depressing Mario, moronic behaviour of that kind actually seems to fire him up. He won’t let this human trash get their way, and it’s the most intelligent response because if you listen to what a stupid person says, you elevate them to the position of interlocutor. If you simply ignore them (still acknowledging that, unfortunately, they exist) you’re leaving them to stew in their own polluted sea: one where there are no friends and no shore. The good news is that even sharks can die of loneliness after a while. Prandelli has given us national team players some firm direction on the matter. “If you hear people in the stands disrespecting Mario, run over to him and hug him.” In that idea hate can be cancelled out by an equivalent dose of love. Not a fashionable choice, but a pretty forceful idea. ... I’m happy that Mario is the way he is. He’ll react (wrongly) to provocation on the pitch, but doesn’t let what’s going on in the crowd affect him. If he scores, he might put his finger to his lips to mock the opposition fans, something that really infuriates them, but if they tell him he’s got the wrong colour of skin he’ll simply laugh in their faces. He makes complete fools of them and emerges a convincing winner. The way I see it, he’s capable of becoming a symbol of the fight against racism, both in Italy and throughout the world.”
Really great words by Andrea Pirlo. For those who haven't read his autobiography we recommend it. Luckily the Reds don’t visit Old Trafford until December, hopefully giving fans time to calm down before they do something stupid.
