According to DW, a collaborative initiative by the Italian government and the Italian Football Association (FIGC) may soon result in the prohibition of the number 88 on football shirts in Italy.
This is part of a bigger project to combat anti-Semitism in football stadiums, which will also include the implementation of an ethics code in compliance with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Among the tangible steps included in the package is a request to referees to suspend any match in which antisemitic behaviors are detected, according to the DW article.
The number 88 is used in far-right, neo-Nazi organizations to refer to the eighth letter of the alphabet, H
“It is an appropriate and effective response to an intolerable prejudice that still too often manifests itself in our stadiums,” Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said during Tuesday’s (June 27) ceremony to sign the letter of intent to implement the measures.
“The world of football is united in the fight against antisemitism and all forms of discrimination,” added FIGC President Gabriele Gravina.
The number 88 is used in far-right, neo-Nazi organizations to refer to the eighth letter of the alphabet, H, with HH standing for “Heil Hitler.”
Following the Nazi rise to power in Germany in the 1930s, the “German Greeting,” as it became known, became widely used throughout the country. Germans would exchange stiff-armed salutes and say “Heil Hitler” to one other and to Hitler’s sculptures.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization based in the United States, “88” is one of the most often utilized white supremacist symbols today.
While athletes rarely wear the number 88 on the back of their shirts, it is not unheard of.
Portugal and Benfica attacker Goncalo Ramos, Croatian midfielders Mario Pasalic (Atalanta) and Toma Besic (Lazio), and, most notably, renowned Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon have all worn the shirt.
Buffon wore the number 88 shirt for Parma for a brief period during the 2000-01 season. He went on to apologize and replace shirt numbers in response to criticism from the Jewish community, claiming ignorance of the importance of the numbers.
However, among fans, the number 88 shirt is more commonly seen.
Racism and anti-Semitism have plagued Italian football in recent years
In one of the most visible anti-Semitic episodes in recent years at an Italian stadium, a Lazio fan wore a jersey with the name “Hitlerson” and the number 88 on the back, while two other fans did “Roman salutes,” which are also connected with fascism. Lazio eventually stated that all three fans will be barred from the stadium for the rest of their lives.
Indeed, racism and anti-Semitism have plagued Italian football in recent years, with spectators booing or yelling abuse at Black players, using the word “Jew” as a pejorative, and exhibiting Nazi or fascist emblems.
In football, players are generally able to select their own shirt number, depending on availability. However, some clubs retire the jersey numbers of renowned players. For example, Napoli FC retired Diego Maradona’s iconic number 10 shirt, which he wore from 1984 to 1991. Similarly, his boyhood club, AFC Ajax, retired Johann Cruyff’s number 14 jersey.
Football organizations rarely impose bans, however uncommon numbers, such as three digits or the number 0, are frequently rejected by competitions. For example, as part of a marketing partnership with telecommunications firm Telefónica CTC Chile, Argentinian goalkeeper Sergio Vargas wore number 188 for Universidad de Chile in 2001. However, the number was not permitted in international events, forcing Vargas to wear number 1.
Other sports, on the other hand, have stronger rules. No NBA player has ever worn the number 69, which is regarded to be implicitly forbidden due to its sexual overtones. Dennis Rodman apparently asked for the number when he signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2000. His request was denied, so he had to settle for number 70.