1. Football, Fascism and Fandom in Modern Italy
- Author
-
Simon Martin
- Subjects
neo-fascism ,memória ,football ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Football ,050601 international relations ,futebol ,memory ,lcsh:Social Sciences ,mémoire ,State (polity) ,Political science ,adeptos ,050602 political science & public administration ,Fascist regime ,Direct consequence ,lcsh:Social sciences (General) ,media_common ,Far right ,Italie ,Itália ,supporters ,05 social sciences ,néofascisme ,0506 political science ,lcsh:H ,neofascismo ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology ,Italy ,Political economy ,lcsh:H1-99 ,neo-fascism ,Fandom - Abstract
This paper will examine the relationship between Fascism and football in Italy from the regime’s origins in the mid-1920s through to the present day and will seek to explain the far right’s continued presence in the game. Contextualising Italian football’s development within the nation’s postwar history, it will argue that while the Fascist regime laid the foundations of the contemporary game, its influence was not profound enough to explain the far-right’s existence in Italian stadiums since the 1980s. By situating the politicisation of Italian football within theories of post-Fascist memory and via the examination of specific incidents of pro-regime and anti-Semitic activity within the stadiums, this paper will argue that the failure to combat the far-right’s presence has been a direct consequence of the weakness/absence of the Italian state. Este artigo analisa a relação entre o fascismo e o futebol na Itália, desde as origens do regime em meados da década de 1920 até aos nossos dias, e tenta explicar a presença contínua da extrema-direita no jogo. Contextualizando o desenvolvimento do futebol italiano na história pós-guerra do país, argumenta-se que, embora o regime fascista tivesse lançado as bases do jogo contemporâneo, a sua influência não foi suficientemente profunda para explicar a presença da extrema-direita nos estádios italianos desde os anos 80. Situando a politização do futebol italiano nas teorias da memória pós-fascista e através da análise de incidentes específicos de atividade pró-regime e antissemita dentro dos estádios, este artigo argumenta que o fracasso em combater a presença da extrema-direita é consequência direta da fraqueza/ausência do Estado italiano. Cet article se penche sur la relation entre le fascisme et le football en Italie, à compter des origines du régime, dans les années 1920, à nos jours et tente d’expliquer la présence continue de l’extrême droite dans ce sport. En contextualisant le développement du football italien dans l’histoire de l’après-guerre du pays, nous soutenons que, bien que le régime fasciste ait lancé les bases du jeu contemporain, son influence ne fut pas suffisamment profonde pour expliquer la présence de l’extrême droite dans les stades italiens depuis les années 80. En situant la politisation du football italien dans les théories de la mémoire post-fasciste et par le biais de l’analyse d’incidents spécifiques de l’activité pro-régime et antisémite dans les stades, cet article défend que l’échec constaté dans le combat à la présence de l’extrême droite est une conséquence directe de la faiblesse/absence de l’État italien.
- Published
- 2018