Juve Stabia fans appear to celebrate goal by Mussolini’s great-grandson with fascist salutes

The Italian football federation has opened an investigation after supporters of the second division club, Juve Stabia, appeared to celebrate a goal scored by Benito Mussolini’s great-grandson with fascist salutes.

Footage captured during the team’s win at home to Cesena showed the moments after Romano Floriani Mussolini, 21, scored the only goal. As the announcer calls out “Romano” seven times, dozens of fans appeared to respond each time with the fascist salute and enthusiastic shouts of “Mussolini”.

The football federation (FIGC) said it was looking into the matter. “The federal prosecutor’s office [of the FIGC] will send a report on the incident ... to the sports judge of Serie B for a ruling,” it said.

This year Italy’s top court ruled that performing the fascist salute is not a crime, unless it endangers public order or risks reviving the banned fascist party. The ruling, sparked by an incident in Milan, came days after video emerged of hundreds of men giving the fascist salute during an annual gathering in Rome.

Juve Stabia, in a statement posted to their website, rejected any connection between the gestures of its fans and fascism. “For 117 years, the club has celebrated the goals of its team,” it said. “When the name of the scoring player is announced, we raise our arms to the sky as a sign of the team that is in our heart and which represents the city. This was once again the case with this goal.”

Floriani Mussolini has played every league game for Juve Stabia this season, on loan from Lazio, where he joined the under-19 team in 2021.

The signing by Lazio was seen by some as fuelling far-right stereotypes of the club, which has long struggled with allegations of racist chanting and praising fascism. In 2021, the club suspended its falconer Juan Bernabé, tasked with flying the club’s eagle mascot before kick-off, after he was filmed at the stadium cheering for Benito Mussolini.

Floriani Mussolini has called on people to judge him on his performance. “My great-grandfather, Benito, was a very important person for Italy but we are in 2024 and the world has changed,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport, this year.

His mother, Alessandra, a former Italian and European MP, is the granddaughter of Benito Mussolini, whose fascist regime seized power in October 1922, ruling Italy until 1943.

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