Italian football is facing a familiar problem with an unusual twist: in Serie B, the great-grandson of former dictator Benito Mussolini scored his first goal – and numerous fans subsequently caused a scandal.
Romano Floriani Mussolini is just 21 years old and only plays in the second Italian division (Serie B). But now he is not only the talk of the country, but also an international topic. Because his first goal has caused a stir – because of the reaction of the fans.
Floriani Mussolini is the great-grandson of Italy’s fascist ex-dictator Benito Mussolini. His professional career has been rather modest so far: although he is under contract with Lazio Rome, he has not been able to make a name for himself there. The defender is currently on loan at second division club Juve Stabia. On Sunday, he scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory against Cesena.
When the stadium announcer called the player’s first name over and over again after his goal, numerous spectators responded with Mussolini chants – and Italian football, which has had a problem with fascist fans for years, once again showed its ugly face.
Videos shared on social media clearly show crowds of spectators giving the so-called Roman salute while loudly shouting Mussolini’s name. According to Italian media, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) launched an investigation into the incidents on Monday, and the police are also looking into the matter.
Floriani Musollini wants to focus on sports
And the player? He has not yet commented, and has also been rather ambivalent of late. In the beginning, he still wore Floriani, his father’s name, on his jersey. Now it is F. Musollini, the name of his mother Alessandra.
She is Benito’s granddaughter, niece of Italian acting icon Sofia Loren and, as of 2022, a member of the European Parliament for the right-wing nationalist “Forza Italia”. Nevertheless, Romano wants to focus on sports, as he himself said in a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“My great-grandfather Benito was a very important figure for Italy, but this is 2024 and the world has changed. There will always be prejudice, but my work has nothing to do with my name,” he said, adding that “people will always talk, but my mother says I should ignore it. I thrive on challenges: if shutting people who are prejudiced against my last name up is what I have to do, then that’s what I’ll do.”
He celebrated his goal on Sunday by putting his index finger to his lips – a symbol of silence. The question is: who should remain silent?