Italian football’s long memory was stirred again during a minute of silence for Mazzola, when some supporters turned their backs on the pitch. The gesture prompted a sharp response from Ivan Zazzaroni, who argued that the cycle of insults, provocation and retaliation around the game must eventually be broken.
The coach and the club
There was no technical discussion, no result to dissect and no boardroom decision behind the episode. Instead, the focus fell on the conduct surrounding a moment intended to honour Mazzola.
Zazzaroni addressed those who faced away from the field during the tribute and who later defended themselves by referring to disgraceful banners and chants aimed at the 39 victims of Heysel, as well as Gaetano Scirea and Gianluca Pessotto.
His message was that there comes a point when football must refuse to continue what he described as a repulsive chain of incivility and violence. In his view, this is violence in its own form, even when it is expressed through chants, banners or symbolic gestures rather than physical confrontation.
He called for someone to take the first step, arguing that the first person to stop the pattern of retaliation would be the one who truly wins. Nothing more, he said, is required.
