Central to the new anti-racism campaign is a trio of paintings featuring apes by Simone Fugazzotto, an artist known for using primates in his work.
The paintings, which will be displayed permanently at Serie A’s headquarters in Milan, have been criticised by many given the continued incidents of black footballers being subjected to monkey chants as a form of racial abuse.
However, Fugazzotto insists the work is designed to highlight the absurdity of prejudice based on skin colour.
“For an artist, there is nothing more important than trying to change the perception of things through his own work,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I’ve tried to say that we are complex and fascinating creatures, that we can be sad or happy, Catholics, Muslims or Buddhists, but that, after all, it is our actions that determine who we are, not the colour of our skin.”
The artist also told reporters he chose to portray monkeys to talk about racism because “they are the metaphor of being human”.
“I thought I’d create this work to teach everyone that we’re all monkeys,” he added.
“The monkey becomes the spark to teach everyone that there is no difference. We are all alike.”
Despite the criticism, Serie A is standing by the campaign.
“Simone’s paintings fully reflect the values of fair play and tolerance, so will remain in our headquarters,” Serie A general manager Luigi De Siervo said.
“Sport, football most of all, is an extraordinary tool for conveying positive messages of fair play and of tolerance.
“Simone’s paintings fully reflect these values and will remain on show in our headquarters.
“The league’s commitment against all forms of prejudice is strong and concrete.
“We know racism is an endemic and very complex problem, which we will tackle on three levels: the cultural level, through works such as Simone’s; the sporting level, with a series of initiatives alongside clubs and players; and the repressive level, thanks to collaboration with police.
“Acting simultaneously on these three different levels, we are sure we will succeed in winning the most important game against the evil that ruins the most beautiful sport in the world.”
The paintings are part of the new three-tiered anti-racism initiative which includes cultural, sporting and “repressive” measures.
Along with artwork and school programs, all 20 Serie A teams have been asked to sign an anti-racism charter and put forward representatives for an official body to combat the problem.
There will also be extra security cameras using facial-recognition software added to stadiums to help police identify abusers, and a Serie A task force established to champion “social responsibility”.
