Racial Antisemitism in Italian Football

Anti-Semitic sentiment has historically manifested in Italy to a lesser extent than in other European nations. In the contemporary Italian social sphere, anti-Semitic racial discourse has become a pervasive doxa, encompassing sports and soccer, which have been influenced by this ideology. Soccer, a prominent cultural practice in Italy, has been observed to reproduce not only social, economic, and political struggles, but also the prevailing notions of race and ethnicity. This chapter aims to explore the evolution of anti-Semitism in the Italian context and to address the existing gap in the literature on anti-Semitism by providing a topical analysis of how prejudice and hatred toward the Jewish community is reproduced and reinforced in soccer. Historically, Italian soccer has reflected the prevailing ideas about race and anti-Semitic prejudice in Italian society. The paper employs a historical and sociological approach to analyze racism and, more specifically, prejudice against the Jewish community, focusing on its transformation over the centuries. The analysis is focused on the 20th century (the era of fascism, the 1960s) and its main sports actors: soccer players, coaches, fans, and spectators. The study further delves into the interventions of legal and sports justice entities, along with the strategic initiatives of sports associations and the broader network of entities dedicated to countering this phenomenon, both within the confines of stadiums and in the broader societal context.