Italian youth soccer team scales back plans to play in blackface after criticism

1. 11/15/2019 Italian youth soccer team Aurora Desio scales back plans to play in blackface - CNN
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Italian youth soccer team scales back plans to play in blackface after
criticism
TENNIS 
 Updated 1330 GMT (2130 HKT) November 6, 2019
By Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN
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2. 11/15/2019 Italian youth soccer team Aurora Desio scales back plans to play in blackface - CNN
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Brescia striker Mario Balotelli was racially abused by opposition Verona fans.
(CNN) — An Italian youth soccer team has backtracked from a controversial plan to play in blackface as a protest against racism in the sport.
The Aurora Desio team, based near Milan, announced the initiative on Monday in response to an alleged incident of racial abuse against a 10-year-old
black player.
"As a symbolic gesture of total condemnation of racism and support to all those who are its victims, some of our teams will play with their faces painted
black," the club said in a statement on its Facebook page.
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3. 11/15/2019 Italian youth soccer team Aurora Desio scales back plans to play in blackface - CNN
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But on Wednesday, Aurora Desio director Alessandro Crisafulli told CNN that following criticism from
black communities and organizations inside and outside Italy, the players will only have two black
marks on their faces.
"We will paint two black fingermarks on the cheeks as a sign that we're all brothers and that the
color of the skin doesn't matter," Crisafulli told CNN.
During a match on Saturday, the mother of an opposing player shouted "shit n*****" at the Aurora
Desio player, according to the club, which posted an account on Facebook.
The club said several adults heard the racist abuse.
The alleged incident happened on the same weekend as Brescia striker Mario Balotelli was racially
abused by opposition Verona fans.
In a letter addressed to, among others, Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora and the Italian
Football Federation (FIGC) and posted on Facebook, Aurora Desio said it "wanted to publicly
denounce this shame ... to the national and local authorities, to the FIGC, to local and national media,
so that we can team up against this disgusting phenomenon."
The club also called on the opposing team, Sovicese, to "condemn every form of racism,"
demanding an investigation into the incident.
Aurora Desio said it would refuse to play with Sovicese until the mother responsible for the racist
abuse was identified and barred from attending matches.
Sovicese said in a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday that the club "condemns any
manifestation of racism" and had launched an internal investigation. "If the facts are ascertained and
the person responsible is identified, we will initiate the necessary sanctioning procedures," the club
said.
Related Article: Verona handed partial
stadium ban over racist abuse towards
Mario Balotelli
Related Article: This footballer was
racially abused by a fan ... then banned
for six matches
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Related Article: Bulgaria soccer coach
Krasimir Balakov resigns after racist
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