In an anti-Semitism crackdown, Italian football banned players from wearing the No. 88 shirt because of its ties to Adolf Hitler.
Neo-Nazi organisations have utilised the number to denote the motto ‘Heil Hitler,’ with the letter ‘H’ being the eighth number of the alphabet.
In March, a Lazio supporter was observed wearing a shirt with the name ‘Hitlerson’ and the number 88 on the back. That fan and two others who performed
‘Roman salutes’ linked with fascism were barred from attending any future games at the Stadio Olimpico.
Gianluigi Buffon was the most famous player to wear the No 88 shirt during his time at Parma, although he later changed numbers after admitting he ‘didn’t realise the secret meaning’ of 88.
Members of Italy’s government and FIGC president Gabriele Gravina reached an agreement on Tuesday to prohibit players from wearing the number.
The prohibition also demands for games to be halted in the event of anti-Semitic chanting or actions.
The reforms, according to Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, are “an adequate and efficient response to intolerable prejudice that too often arises in our stadiums.”
Football’s credibility, according to FIGC president Gravina, is “harmed by discriminatory behaviour” and has a “direct reflection on Italian society.”
The decision implies that every player in Italy’s Serie A and lesser levels who wears the number 88 will have to choose a new shirt before the season begins.
The rule change will have an impact on Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic and Lazio’s Toma Basic. There is no evidence that the players were aware of the connection between the number of fascism.
The effort will feature a code of conduct based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
The supporter who donned the ‘Hitlerson’ jersey at Lazio during the Rome derby in March was expected to face penalties under the 1993 Mancino statute, which prohibits Nazism or Fascism-related gestures, acts and words.
The No. 88 shirt is prohibited in Italian football.
