By Jesse Fink
October 18th 2008 @ 1:59am
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The super potential of Super Mario
Here’s an interesting one, a nice rejoinder to all the bad press European football has been getting in recent times for its problems with racism, on the pitch and in the terraces.
Mario Balotelli is another phenom off the production line of hot Italian strikers and already, at barely 18, been linked with a move from his club, Inter Milan, to the Premiership, most notably (predictably) Chelsea, and the Primera Liga with a rejuvenated Réal Madrid.
Italians in England or Spain are not news.
What, however, is news is that the very mummy’s boy-sounding Balotelli, nicknamed “Super Mario”, is black.
Balotelli was born in Palermo, Sicily, but his birth parents, Thomas and Rose Barwuah, are Ghanaian.
At the age of two, with his parents concerned for his health living in a cramped one-bedroom flat with other immigrant families, he was fostered out to an Italian family, the Balotellis, outside Milan following a court order.
He never went back to them.
Balotelli only gained Italian citizenship in August this year when he turned 18, so despite sterling performances for Lumezzane and Inter’s youth teams he could not play for Italy’s junior rep sides because he was officially classified as an alien immigrant, his adoption not legally ratified.
Balotelli made a huge splash this week when he scored twice for Pierluigi Casiraghi’s Italy under-21 side in its do-or-die qualifier for the Euro under-21 championships in Tel Aviv, the first an incredible 30-metre free kick that Roberto Carlos or Ronaldinho would give their right arm to score.
The second, perhaps not as spectacular and certainly not as far out, was scored in open play but is notable for the insouciance with which he traps the ball outside the box, takes aim and fires, leaving Ohad Levita, the hapless Israeli goalkeeper, clutching at air.
The Israelis had drawn the first match of the two-leg tie 0-0 in Ancona and fancied their chances of going through in a big upset at the expense of the Azzurini, but that first time around they didn’t have to counter Balotelli, who missed the match through a bout of flu.
With Balotelli, the Italians were a class apart.
I’ve written much over the years about the problem of football racism in Italy, Spain and the Balkans, but nothing ever seems to change, despite all the Nike-, UEFA- and FIFA-promoted anti-racism campaigns.
Perhaps it’s because Italy, Spain and Croatia in particular, unlike France, lack identifiably black faces in their national senior sides that the boo-boys and banana throwers can actually look at, or up to, and say “he’s one of my own”.
Let’s hope Balotelli, Italian born, Italian raised, and at least on national men’s team coach Marcello Lippi’s radar if not in his plans, can be the start of some real and profound change.
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Joe FC said | October 18th 2008 @ 11:42am | Report comment
good story Jesse a pleasant change from the gloom that usually attracts attention.
dasilva said | October 18th 2008 @ 11:55am | Report comment
You’ll probably get very little comments for this article. To positive, not controversial or polarising
but yeah great article. Nice to have an article that doesn’t refer to thou that shall not be name
In any case I’m not too sure having a black player in the team is going to stop racism. Lot of people who indulge in racial attacks aren’t white supremous. However they are culturlally ignorant and ignore the historical ramnification and meaning behind them. They just see it as another method in sledging an opponent. The crowd will say - he is the opposition. This is what it takes to knock him off his game and then starts racial chanting. They don’t see the difference between general insult and racial insult. The same people who do these racist chants are also equally happy to have a black player in their team if they are good enough.
dasilva said | October 18th 2008 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
An example. Real Madrid has black players in there team but that doesn’t stop them from having problems with racial chanting (although admittingly a lot of those who do participate are from far right groups)
Kazama said | October 18th 2008 @ 2:12pm | Report comment
Great article Jesse.
I believe that having a black African playing for Italy can make a difference in terms of racism at football matches. One way, as Jesse suggests, is that he will be seen by the supporters as playing for their interests and change the minds of some who are silly enough to believe that a person’s skin colour makes them less human.
However, IMO you would only change the minds of some of the younger, more impressionable supporters there. For the older or the more hardcore Azzuri fans (ultras?) who have been brought up in a racist climate, perhaps it would result in them turning away from their team, refusing to accept that a black man could represent their country. This to me would also be a positive thing, because it would get these idiots the hell away from our sport.
Nice goal!
Ben of Phnom Penh said | October 19th 2008 @ 10:12am | Report comment
An interesting article and indeed having players of different ethnic backgrounds in the national side can go someway to reducing racism in sport. The far right section will always be there however what is required is the reduction of apathy from the majority who allow these ill-informed individuals to proceed unchallenged. Perhaps Balotelli’s rise into the national side will make a difference; only time will tell.
True Tah said | October 19th 2008 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
IMO the reason behind the racism in Italy, Spain, Serbia and Croatia is that the people have had little exposure to people of differant cultures, and probably feel threatened.
England and France both had extensive empires, and have many of their people with some of their origins from their empires, and are comfortable with it, I would expect to see more mixed raced couples in these countries than in Italy and most of eastern Europe.
Both England and France have had players of African descent in their national futbol and rugby sides (and in England cricket and rugby league as well - Ellery Hanley first black man to captain the English national team in any sport) for quite some time.
Millster said | October 20th 2008 @ 9:52am | Report comment
Just wanted to add a line to say great article from me as well. Such articles should get the same attention as their more controversial and aggrieved cousins.
Interestingly though, I hope this Mario’s career does not become about the war against racism 100%. I hope he flourishes and succeeds and is respected as a player irrespective of the colour of his skin, not so much because of it. May we enjoy his skills for many years.