Around 50 Italian football fans turned their backs during Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah before their clash. Both sides locked horns with each other in UEFA Nations League in Hungary, where Italy supporters turned their backs in an apparent protest against the war in Gaza. In the match that was played at the Bozsik Arena in Budapest, the Italian fans also displayed a flag with ‘Liberta’ written over it and placed black slashes on other banners.
Notably, Israel have relocated their home games to Hungary due to the ongoing war with Hamas. Not only this, but as per the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, the first half of the match also saw Italian fans chanting against Italian anti-fascist activist Ilaria Salis. She was recently set free from house arrest in Budapest in June after she faced charges for allegedly assaulting far-right demonstrators.
A section of the stadium turned their backs as a mark of protest during the game against Israel in the UEFA Nations League. Those fans were clad in black and had a large banner reading “Freedom by the boys with the tricolours”, referring to Italy’s red, white and green flag. Not only this, but the Italian national team also asked UEFA to stop an Israeli announcer, who called for pro-Israel chants.
The game saw Italy defeating their Israeli counterparts with a margin of 2-1. Italy is set to host Israel in Udine on October 14; however, Udine’s city council has not endorsed the match while a pro-Palestine protest has been scheduled in the city on the same day.