The air hung heavy with a sense of betrayal, not the usual competitive tension, as young girls, barely out of childhood, walked off a football pitch in Naples, their faces streaked with tears. Their crime? Daring to compete, and excel, against a boys’ under-14 team in what was meant to be an ‘educational match’. Instead, they were met with a torrent of sexist insults, mimed obscene gestures, and demands for their intimate apparel. This wasn’t sport; it was a wound, deep and festering, in the heart of a community striving for something better.
A Match Marred by Barbarity: When Sport Fails its Promise
The incident, which unfolded during a game between a male under-14 team led by an anti-camorra priest and the Napoli Women under-17 youth squad, has sent shockwaves through Naples. The girls, members of a team playing in Italy’s Serie A, endured a barrage of ‘barbaric and allusive’ offenses that continued even on social media after the match. The Napoli Women club, in a powerful open letter on Facebook, denounced the actions, highlighting the profound impact on their underage athletes, daughters, and students.
“Our underage girls, athletes, daughters, students,” the letter read, “were subjected to sexist and homophobic insults that have nothing to do with sport. Vulgar phrases, explicit allusions, comments on the female body, and verses imitating sexual acts. Heavy, violent words that should never be uttered by an adult, let alone by such young boys.” The club’s condemnation extended to the post-match online harassment: “After the game, some opposing players posted photos and videos on their social media accompanied by insults, mockery, and degrading slogans. Some of our athletes were even privately contacted, becoming targets of new harassment and disrespect.” The club concluded with a stark message: “This is not banter. This is not competition. This is not football. It is a wound.”
Don Aniello Manganiello: The Priest Against the Camorra Faces a New Battle
The shock and anger were palpable, particularly for Don Aniello Manganiello, the president of the boys’ under-14 team. Known for his tireless work against the Camorra and his dedication to using football as a tool for redemption for young people in the marginalized northern suburbs of Naples, Don Aniello expressed profound disappointment. “I am deeply angry and disappointed by what happened,” he stated. “This sad and shameful affair casts a bad light on all the good we have built over the years. Perhaps we have done too little; we must do more, and I am ready to pay my part.”
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Beyond Punishment: A Path to Education and Respect
Don Aniello faces a delicate dilemma. While he acknowledges the need for accountability for the two or three players identified as the main culprits, he also understands that simply ostracizing them could push them further into the clutches of organized crime. His response, therefore, is not one of mere punishment but of intensified education and rehabilitation. “These will be serious measures,” he explained, “we commit to introducing training and awareness courses on respect for women and combating vulgarity. We already do them, but we will intensify them. Episodes like the other day tell us that we have done too little; perhaps we have focused too much on the technical skills of young footballers and instead need to think more about helping them become men.”
The priest has already written a letter to the regional committee, condemning the incident and accepting objective responsibility despite his absence during the match. He stands firm in his belief that true change comes not from expulsion but from education, from instilling values of respect and empathy in young minds. The incident serves as a stark reminder that the battle for human values extends beyond the fight against organized crime, reaching into the very fabric of youth sport. The tears of the young girls on the pitch are a testament to the urgent need for a different approach, one that prioritizes dignity and respect above all else.
