‘Leaving the stadium out should be simple’

Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 07:55• Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk • Last update: 08:00

Denzel Dumfries is the next Serie A footballer to face racism from the stands. The right defender of Internazionale and the Dutch national team was the clear target of monkey noises in the match against Lazio (3-1 loss) on Saturday evening and at least one fan of the Roman club was responsible for that. Images of the moment in the Stadio Olimpico are massively distributed on social media.

Dumfries made his appearance on the field in Rome in the 67th minute as a replacement for Alessandro Bastoni. It took less than fifteen minutes before the Dutchman asserted himself in an unusual way. Felipe Anderson made the 2-1 from a rebound, while Inter midfielder Federico Dimarco was injured on the field. It must be said that Inter first completed an attack themselves, but the alleged unsportsmanship of Lazio bothered the players of Inter.

Dumfries deliberately bumped into the goalscorer, after which emotions ran high. Referee Massimiliano Irrati drew four yellow cards, including one for Dumfries. The defender was subsequently the bitten dog for some of the Lazio fans. A supporter exceeded all norms and values ​​with monkey noises towards Dumfries, as is shown on images of DAZN Clearly visible. These were circulated on social media and sparked outrage.

“He is telegenic, fortunately the images are clear,” writes journalist Alessandro Alciato. “And fortunately, there can be no doubt about his identity either. The monkey sounds are towards Dumfries. Finding this supporter and knocking him out of the stadium should be very simple.” A Lazio supporter speaks shame of the moment. “I am happy for Lazio and Maurizio Sarri. I’m less happy with the fans who have the stigma of being racist in their DNA. This would be a life ban in the Premier League. In Italy it all happens in chivalry.”

At the same time, a still of the moment Dumfries assaults Anderson, eagerly shared. The image shows the right back with a clenched fist out his anger towards the goalscorer. Just after the final whistle, Luiz Felipe received an extremely remarkable red card. The Lazio defender celebrated the win by jumping very provocatively on the back of Joaquin Correa, who had just left Lazio last summer for an adventure at Inter. That action earned Felipe red and also caused a riot between Inter and Lazio players.

Italian football has been struggling for years with enormous problems around racism, discrimination and mutual aversion, and Lazio in particular is often mentioned as an example. Local media assure that far-right political groups have infiltrated the Curva Nord, where swastikas occasionally pop up. Some of the fans like to use the club name SS Lazio to suggest a historical connection to Adolf Hitler’s army. For these fans, an outspoken fascist like Paolo Di Canio is an absolute legend of Lazio, which also has an eagle, the former mascot of the Italian fascist party, in the club logo.