Fascist Football Foundation
Introduction:
-Italy felt the need to restructure football in order to gain the support of the masses. This in turn becomes another form of nationalism.
-The new league of calico formed in the early 20th century was the cause of much disapproval from the smaller clubs, which in turn caused a divide in big and small clubs and strayed away from the initial belief of “a healthy and chivalrous game that tempers the energies of the race”.
-Fans increasingly became an important factor in calico with their “enthusiastic and passionate support”. But you see how the managerial staff and the overall construction of the Lega was extremely flawed and unstable.
The Carta di Viagreggio
-The restructuring of the Italian league was then broken down into two divisions, much like Serie A and Serie B where the top teams in Serie B (Division II) are then promoted to Serie A (Division I)
-In addition many competitions were created in the League in order for both small and big clubs to participate. This was done with the hope of national integration, making sure there was no longer a major divide.
-Players were also put into a category between amateurism and professionalism, which allowed them certain liberties yet they were still not considered professionals. “’Non-amateur” players were similarly committed to their clubs for a period of twelve months and despite not being considered professional, they were allowed reimbursement from any expenses or loss of income incurred through playing football”
-This feature had fans greatly supporting their amateur clubs, believing that being amateurs retained the feature of fair play that the regime was “keen to promote”.
-The Italian government attempted to privatize the league by forbidding foreign players to participate, an act similar to that in Brazil or other European countries that allowed only certain players to compete.
Calico goes south:
-The league organization stealthily move their operations to a more central point in Italy, hoping that their national support would increase and revitalize calico.
-Furthermore Serie A and Serie B were formed which brought about major tax reductions
-Strong fan bases of clubs continued to increase the intensity of rivalries and influenced the outcome of many matches. Deeming that the rivalries are so intense that ‘the comparison between the two publics as no less interesting than that between the two squads”
Shooting for Italy: Foreign Bodies on Foreign Fields:
-The 1934 Olympics were a means of “showing the world the achievements of fascism.”
-The WC victory became a testament to the success of fascism in Italy.
-National success became synonymous with fascism. “The movement and Mussolini’s regime constantly proclaimed national greatness, measured in terms of international prestige”
-The success of soccer also brought the nation much global exposure and income.
For Club and Country:
-Through football, Italy had become one of the central powers in Europe, presiding over other nations such as England.
-But, in certain international matches, the Italian fans were in fact too aggressive and caused strains on relations between countries due to the fact that the clubs in Italy were in fact the face of fascism.
-A tournament in France was an extremely controversial event due to the fact that Mussolini had very anti-French ideals and as noted before, Italy’s team represents the ideals of Italian Fascism.