Giovanni Malago, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, CONI, has made the sensational claim that diving is worse than racism in Italian football.
Malago’s comments come just a day after the fourth racist incident of the 2019/20 Serie A campaign as Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic was victim of racial abuse in the Bianconeri’s win over Brescia last night.
The Bosnian international joined Inter’s Romelu Lukaku, AC Milan’s Franck Kessie and Fiorentina’s Dalbert in being a target for such abuse.
“The fans who jeer black players are wrong. However, it is even more wrong when someone who earns €3 million dives in the box and is then also happy to take the penalty,” Malago remarked in an interview with Radio 24.
Malago then went on to insist that racists deserve to be punished for their actions, something fans of some clubs have managed to escape on several occasions, namely Cagliari fans.
“There is certainly punishment needed for racists given all that has been said in recent years has not helped anything. It is necessary to attack the issue in concrete fashion.”
