Naples on their knees against racism (and against Atalanta)

Before the start of the match against Atalanta, the Napoli players knelt on the lawn of the Maradona Stadium, practicing the “Taking the knee” ritual of US origin, to protest against racism. On the pitch there were not only the 11 starters but also the entire Napoli bench. This type of protest was born in 2016, before a US Football game in which San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick knelt during the US anthem to draw the public’s attention to the problems of racism. A form of protest then exploded all over the world, following the killing of George Floyd. The same gesture at the 2020 European Championships caused a lot of discussion, due to Italy’s half-baked application.

The Neapolitans’ demonstration takes place after the acquittal due to insufficient evidence of Acerbi who, during last Sunday’s Inter-Napoli match, was the protagonist of an ugly episode against the Italian footballer Juan Jesus. Napoli has announced that it will no longer take part in the anti-racism demonstrations organized by the Football Federation and the League, but from this moment on it will manage its initiatives in this regard in complete autonomy.

As for what we saw on the pitch, the hope of qualifying for next year’s Champions League is all for Atalanta who won clearly 3-0 and launched the chase for the top positions in the table. Goals from Mirancuk in the 26th minute, Scamacca in the 56th minute and Koopmeiners in the 88th minute. The bad performance of Calzona’s men, orphans of Kvaratskhelia and with an Osimhen who was never really dangerous, represents yet another negative episode of a season whose only certainty was De Laurentiis’ inability to manage the post-championship title. And the uncertainties for the 2023/24 season become even more numerous at this point.