September 26 – The chairman of the Italian Olympics Committee has sparked fierce controversy by suggesting that diving is a more serious issue than racism in Italian football.
So damaging has racism become in the country that FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently intervened given the lack of action from the governing bodies in Italy.
But Giovanni Malago (pictured) downplayed the impact of recent instances of abuse saying players seeking to gain an advantage by diving are “even more wrong”.
Malago told Radio24: “The fans who jeer black players are wrong. However, it’s even more wrong when someone who earns €3 million dives in the box and is then also happy to take the penalty.”
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