Italian Dictator Mussolini's Grandson Scores Debut Goal
"I Know the Prejudice... I Will Be Recognized for My Skills"
During a professional football match in Italy, spectators were captured standing up simultaneously and performing the so-called 'Fascist salute,' sparking controversy. The incident occurred immediately after a rookie player, who debuted in professional football this year, scored his first goal.
The player's name is Romano Floriani Mussolini. He is known as the great-grandson of the dictator Benito Mussolini, who once allied with Adolf Hitler, the German Chancellor, plunging Europe into the horrors of war.
On the 22nd (local time), Romano Floriani Mussolini, a member of the Italian professional football Serie B team 'SS Juve Stabia,' scored his first league goal in a match against Cesena FC. Thanks to his goal, the team defeated Cesena 1-0. Romano debuted last July with 'SS Lazio' and is currently on loan, spending his first season in the league.
The local fans' reaction to his achievement was enthusiastic. As the announcer shouted, "Romano has scored," the spectators chanted "Mussolini" and stood up simultaneously. However, some among them celebrated Romano's goal by performing the 'Fascist salute.' This pose involves raising one arm diagonally upward with the palm facing downward, a salute frequently used to honor the dictator during Mussolini's Italy.
Romano is the son of Alessandra Mussolini, Benito Mussolini's granddaughter and a current politician. His relation to Mussolini is that of a great-grandson. Alessandra, his mother, has served as a senator and a member of the European Parliament representing the far-right Italian party 'Forza Italia.'
Romano has expressed his desire to stand on the professional stage solely based on his skills, undeterred by the 'Mussolini' label that inevitably follows him. In an interview with a local media outlet, he stated, "Prejudice will always exist," but added, "It has nothing to do with football. If my football career is affected because of my name, it would be very disappointing. What matters is what I do on the pitch."
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. He ruled as a dictator in the Kingdom of Italy for over 20 years, but after his death, his body was hung in a square and mocked, meeting a horrific end. Yonhap News
Meanwhile, Mussolini was the leader of the National Fascist Party and the dictator who held power over the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 to 1943. At that time, his title in Italy was 'Duce' (leader). The golden axe, a symbol of the Fascist Party, along with the distinctive 'Fascist salute,' remains a symbol of Mussolini's Italy and is still regarded as a controversial image today.
During World War II, in 1943, after Italy surrendered to the Allied forces, Mussolini's dictatorship ended. After his fall from power, he was arrested and imprisoned but was rescued by the Nazi allies and fled to Germany, where he established a government-in-exile. However, in 1945, when the Nazis were defeated by the Allied forces, he was captured by communist partisans and executed by firing squad. His body was reportedly hung upside down in a square in Milan, Italy, and subjected to public humiliation and ridicule.
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