Forbidden Italy! Because it evokes the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler…

A declaration of intent to combat antisemitism in football was signed between the Italian Ministry of the Interior and the Italian Football Federation.

According to the decision within the framework of the declaration of intent announced by the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, the number “88”, which is the eighth letter of the Italian alphabet, is the symbol of the greeting “Heil Hitler”, which is used in the country to praise Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, especially from neo-Nazi racist groups. In football, it is forbidden for players to wear this number on their jersey numbers.

WILL IMPRESS TWO FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Piantedosi claimed that in addition to players getting the number “88”, it is forbidden for fans to wear symbols that could connote Nazism in football.

Two players who currently play in the Italian Serie A will be affected by said decision. Mario Pasalic, who plays for Atalanta, and Toma Basic, who plays for Lazio, will not be able to wear “88” as the jersey number for the new season.

According to press reports, players such as Mateusz Praszelik, Gianluigi Buffon and Marco Borriello had previously been given “88” as their shirt number in Italy, but following criticism, these players had to declare that they had no sympathy for the far-right. . (AA)