International and domestic soccer officials have spent years battling racism in Italy, where a star player in the country’s top league recently punted a ball into the stands and threatened to abandon a match over racist chants.
The problem also has trickled down to the youngest levels of the sport, and one youth soccer club recently announced an unusual response: It planned to support a 10-year-old player subjected to racist abuse by having its players wear blackface during an upcoming match.
But after that controversial gesture was criticized, the youth players will instead wear two black streaks on their faces.