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The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Monday that it has begun investigations concerning the behaviour of supporters from the Serie B club Juve Stabia.
This follows an incident on Sunday during Juve Stabia's game against Cesena when Juve Stabia fans celebrated a goal scored by Romano Floriani Mussolini with fascist salutes. Importantly, the 21-year-old footballer is the great-grandson of Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini.
According to footage circulated on social media, Juve Stabia supporters repeatedly shouted "Mussolini" at the instigation of the stadium announcer while performing a Roman salute or fascist salute.
❌🇮🇹 REPUDIABLE HECHO EN ITALIA: Romano Floriani Mussolini, bisnieto del dictador, marcó el gol de la victoria para Juve Stabia, en el 1-0 ante Cesena por la Serie B, e hinchas de este club lo festejaron haciendo el saludo fascista.
— Diario Olé (@DiarioOle) December 23, 2024
En el video se puede observar como la voz del… pic.twitter.com/eIBSRcaz1A
An unprecedented event
Romano Floriani Mussolini scored his first senior professional goal for Juve Stabia, where he is on loan from Lazio for the 2024-25 season. The young right-back scored the only goal against local rivals Cesena, which gave Juve Stabia all three points in the Serie B.
However, Romano's joy of scoring his first professional goal was overshadowed by the Juve Stabia fans who celebrated his goal with a Roman salute, or fascist salute, that many people find to be offensive.
Romano always chose to distance himself from his family's political legacy to focus on his career as a footballer. When he had his first breakout with Lazio, his family background naturally came up but Romano requested people to judge him based on his performances.
He stated the following to Gazzetta dello Sport this year:
My great-grandfather, Benito, was a very important person for Italy but we are in 2024 and the world has changed,
However, The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has taken a firm stance regarding this situation and started an immediate proceeding that can result in hefty financial sanctions or a ban if the club is proven guilty.
FICG stated to AFP:
Officials from the federal prosecutor's office (of the FIGC) will send a report on the incident, along with video evidence, to the sports judge of Serie B for a ruling,
Earlier this year, Italy’s top court ruled that performing the fascist salute is not a crime, unless it endangers public order or risks reviving the banned fascist party. In these controversial circumstances, Juve Stabia club has published an official statement on its club website denying the allegations.
Official Statement of Juve Stabia
Esultanza F.Mussolini: il comunicato ufficiale della S.S. Juve Stabia 1907
— S.S. Juve Stabia 1907 (@ssjuvestabiaspa) December 23, 2024
🔗 https://t.co/0R5cmJv5Cz#ForzaJuveStabia #FollowTheWasps #SerieBKT pic.twitter.com/PALM8iGcL8
SS Juve Stabia 1907, having taken note of the deliberate desire of a part of the national press to see in a simple exultation of the Stabia public, which followed the goal of an exemplary boy and a footballer who is defending the club's colours at his best on the football pitch, the most followed SPORT in the nation and not only, in other words with attacks on the square and on the member himself, specifies that the position of the club is one of absolute tranquility because for 117 years in Castellammare di Stabia people have celebrated for a goal of their hometown team and since the stadium has had a speaker and a sound system that following a goal of Juve Stabia the name of the footballer who scored the goal is announced by our speaker and the surname by the public with emphasis and raising their arms to the sky in a sign of sporting exultation for their favourite team and which represents their hometown. Romano Floriani Mussolini's goal against Cesena was his tenth at home in the championship, his ninth at Menti, and as always, the process after the goal was the same.
President Langella, surprised by the media coverage of the goal, which earned him fourth place in the standings, declared:
"Our ideals are always the same, they are based on fairness and respect for others, a healthy competitive spirit linked to sport and they do not change based on the surname of our members who are exemplary boys. We have fans who make us proud because they are among the most fair in the footballing boot, always being close to us. We do not accept exploitation for a golden boy like Romano Floriani Mussolini and the same goes for our fans who celebrated as they have always done in the past with any other athlete. The team is already ready and focused on the next challenge, pursuing our goal of salvation."