Israel's Ambassador to Rome Naor Gilon on Monday said that reported Anti-Semitic comments made at the weekend by Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) President Carlo Tavecchio were "unacceptable".
Online publication Soccer Life reported Tavecchio as saying that the former headquarters of Italy's amateur league had been bought by a "nasty Jew". The apparent reference is to real-estate businessman Cesare Anticoli.
In the recording, he also seems to say that, while he has had fruitful working relations with Jewish people in the past, "it is best to keep them at bay". Furthermore, in the audio recording, Tavecchio apparently said, when commenting on gays, that: "I don't have anything against them, but it's best to keep them far away from me". Tavecchio was barred by UEFA and FIFA for six months after being elected FIGC chief last year for saying there there were too many "banana-eating" non-EU players in Italian football during his election campaign.
"As the Israeli ambassador to Italy, I want to reiterate that there can be no doubt that, as an Israeli, a Jew and the member of a minority, I cannot accept in the slightest the words spoken by FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio," Gilon said. When asked to comment on the furore on Sunday, Gilon had referred to Tavecchio's cooperation in counteracting alleged anti-Israel initiatives within FIFA. Tavecchio said Sunday that he was a blackmail target and suggested the audio recording may have been manipulated.
Gay activists and representatives of Italy's Jewish community called for the resignation of Tavecchio, with critics saying he had no credibility with which to reform Italian soccer, which has been dogged by racism and violence in recent years. "Tavecchio's comments are not an example that does Italian sport honour, just like racism in the stands are not," Labour and Social Policies Undersecretary Luigi Bobba told State broadcaster RAI. Italian Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malagò also blasted the comments but said he was powerless. "The words to come out of the recording are unacceptable and should be condemned," Malagò said.
"But there is no technical or legal mechanism to put the FIGC into administration".
Consumer association Codacons, meanwhile, said it had presented a petition for the Lazio regional administrative court (TAR) for Tavecchio to be suspended.
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