Naples, December 12 – Don Aniello Manganiello, an anti-mafia priest and president of the Don Guanella sports club, has taken drastic action by indefinitely suspending his entire Under-14 football team following a serious incident of sexist insults directed at the Napoli Women Under 17 team. The insults occurred during a recent match and were subsequently amplified on social media, prompting a strong reaction from the women’s team and the club president.
Indefinite Ban and Mandatory Respect Courses
Don Manganiello, visibly angered by the players’ behavior, announced that the Under-14 team will be allowed to train but will be barred from participating in any federal championship matches. This decision comes after the Napoli Women Under 17 team, which competes in Italy’s top women’s league, publicly condemned the verbal abuse and a highly offensive, sexist photo circulated on social media.
“I am speechless; this was a very serious incident. That’s why I decided to disqualify the entire team indefinitely: they can train but not play, in any federal championship. And I will make no exceptions,” stated Don Manganiello. He further emphasized that the players, who are around 12 years old (born in 2012), will be required to attend mandatory training courses focused on respect and appropriate language.
Unprecedented Incident for Don Guanella
Don Manganiello, who has dedicated much of his life to supporting young people in the Don Guanella neighborhood between Miano and Scampia, expressed deep disappointment. He highlighted the educational value of sport and noted that such an egregious incident was unprecedented for his club, which manages 13 teams. “It had never happened before,” he lamented, “some skirmishes on the field, but without consequences. I also find the photograph, circulated on social media, with that sexist phrase towards the girls: ‘Give us back our bras, b*tches…’ to be scandalous, which further raised the level of the offense.”
The priest acknowledged that the players are pre-adolescents and thus impressionable, but stressed that their actions were unacceptable. He recalled a summer camp where the same boys, without their phones, were collaborative and respectful of rules, making this recent behavior even more shocking.
Call for Greater Parental Involvement
Don Manganiello also directed his frustration towards the parents of the young footballers, urging them to be more vigilant about their children’s activities, especially online. He emphasized the need for parents to monitor their children’s free time, social media interactions, and friendships to identify potential vulnerabilities and negative influences. “I reprimanded them,” he continued. “They need to follow their children more closely, who manage their free time mostly on social media, in chats, where anything can happen. They need to know what they are doing, the friends they hang out with, in short, a monitoring that is not oppressive but goes to the heart of the objective, to also identify any fragilities and limits. They listened to me without replying. Only nodded. But they understood the reasons.”
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the challenges in promoting respectful behavior, particularly in the digital age, and the critical role of both sports organizations and families in shaping the values of young people. The Don Guanella club, under Don Manganiello’s leadership, is committed to using this unfortunate event as a learning opportunity to instill stronger values of respect and sportsmanship among its young athletes.
Source: https://napoli.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/25_dicembre_12/napoli-da-calciatori-under-14-insulti-sessisti-in-campo-alle-ragazze-17enni-don-manganiello-li-squalifico-io-per-ora-non-giocano-d51a4c86-32e7-4a54-a302-0934b9d2dxlk.shtml
