Several chants and some Juventus fans turning their backs: the minute of silence held at the Allianz Stadium to remember Sandro Mazzola turned into an affront to the memory of the departed champion. As in all Serie A grounds, 60 seconds of reflection were also observed in Turin to honour the Inter legend and son of Valentino Mazzola, captain of the Grande Torino, who passed away between Friday and Saturday night at the age of 83. Before Juventus-Atalanta, however, the commemoration was marred by a section of Juventus supporters. In the Curva Sud, in the central sections of the first and second tiers, dozens of fans chose to turn their backs during the minute of silence. Not only that, many others ruined the tribute to Mazzola by chanting the names of deceased Juventus figures Gaetano Scirea, Giovanni Agnelli and Andrea Fortunato.
Amid the disrespectful behaviour, the rest of the Allianz Stadium crowd responded with a loud round of applause for the former Nerazzurri champion. However, images of the ultras turning their backs quickly spread across the internet and provoked a number of reactions. "Sandro Mazzola is not just an Inter player, he is a football legend. But stupidity never runs dry," Senate President and Inter fan Ignazio La Russa told ANSA by phone, condemning the episode while keen to "put it in perspective." "If you prefer another take," he added, "pay them no heed and move on. Mazzola's greatness cannot be measured by such pettiness." Among the harshest responses was that of Osvaldo Napoli: "The behaviour of some Juventus fans was disgraceful, it is a sign not only of poor sportsmanship but of a genuine descent into barbarism by certain sections of the fanbase: they should be handed banning orders and removed from the stands," declared the Azione representative.
This immediately brought to mind the 2014 incident, when during a Turin derby several banners mocking the Superga tragedy of 4 May were displayed. "The club's management has nothing to do with it, but that stadium should be closed for a year, forever," Sandro Mazzola had said in tears on the radio, recalling his father Valentino and the entire Grande Torino side, who perished on the hill on 4 May 1949. "Only in Italy do these things happen, and yet we never do anything about it: a €25,000 fine is ridiculous, it's unacceptable."
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