by Domenico Ascione (Twitter: @vesuvilandia) & AntonioPapa (@antoniopapapapa)
Dear colleagues, dear oversea friends,
we are very sorry to hear about this sad campaign originating from a ridiculous misunderstanding. Right after the match between Napoli and AC Milan, it was made a fuss about Mario Balotelli’s crying following his substitution. Apparently, the blame is on a Turkish journalist who mistook the hisses addressed to the striker for racist insults. From that moment on, an “anti-racist” campaign has been sponsored by some Galatasaray supporters, a campaign evoked even by important North American medias. We, as Neapolitan colleagues who live the daily life of our city, can reassure you that what happened has absolutely nothing to do with racism. The azzurri fans hissed and booed Balotelli just as an “enemy”, and not because of the colour of his skin, so his tears should be attributed to personal issues that have probably little to do with football.
One could say much about Napoli, but surely no one could blame it for being a racist city. In fact, Napoli fans have often been the target of insults and offences coming from every part of Italy, especially in stadiums, where some “tifosi” sing hymns to mount Vesuvius and other natural catastrophes on a weekly basis. That’s why we can insist that this is a major misunderstanding which is ruining the reputation of Naples, as well as your professionalism as journalists.
As hard as it may be to accept, you have dropped a huge clanger, dear sirs (“avete preso una bufala”, we would say). So we hope you can all change your mind by visiting our splendid city in order to certify what we have been debating so far. Seeing things with one’s own eyes is always better than listening to unfounded rumours and/or wrong interpretation of the facts.
Sincerely yours,
Naples and the whole Neapolitan people.
(Napolicalciolive.com)
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