Kicking out discrimination in Serie A and Liga MX will be long but doable

(We're all Anna Frank)

It took the past World Cup for FIFA to realize the homophobic connotations of the popular Mexican 'p*to' chant yelled at rival goalies. It was during the draw between Brazil and Mexico in a crowded Castealo Stadium in Fortaleza:

The chant had become common currency in Liga MX venues (and was probably also present in South Africa 2010). But, back then, it didn't gather our attention as we may had normalized and dismissed it as 'normal' footballing banter/culture. For once, all those penalties imposed by FIFA on 'p*to' might work as this chant is now cast as an explicit symbol of discrimination.

Symbols are important in public; they render visible diverse social practices, some good, others not so.

In the past, certain European clubs' fangroups gained obscure reputations as intolerant and antisemite, although those manifestations couldn't get enough attention as much of that, like 'p*to', was normalized as 'normal' footballing banter/culture. Last weekend during a Serie A match, however, some alleged Lazio fans employed pictures of Anna Frank in order to insult AS Roma rivals.

Anna Frank's diary is not only a powerful historical symbol of resistance to Nazism and Fascism, but also a symbol of the power of education as one ideal institution for democracy and inclusion. In fact, sport is another of these institutions, battlegrounds between inclusion and exclusion.

As reported by the Italian media, the attempts made on the part of the Serie A at addressing those pseudo-Lazio fans by reading excerpts from Anna Frank's diary in the midweek matchday had mixed results: some groups of ultras booed, others kept chanting, as though nothing was happening, and some observed silently.

The thing is that intolerance and discrimination can no longer use the guise of footballing banter/culture. There's no way back once their expressions turn into public symbols of shame such as 'p*to' and Frank's photographs employed offensively.

Of course it's gonna take long to uproot these unacceptable social practices which have been around football pitches for as long as this sport has existed. Nevertheless, we have now identified their symbols and are prepared for symbolic battles and symbolic victories.

Serie A has taken the first step by reading Frank's diary. What will Liga MX do?

The problem Liga MX has with young Mexicans

Following the disastrous U-17 World Cup in India for a Mexican side unable to win one single of its four matches, fans and pundits alike began fearing for Diego Lainez's future. Should the Club America bright prospect head as soon as possible to Europe to raise his game?

The idea which underlies that question is whether Liga MX can currently help develop young Mexican players and increase the pool of talent for the national team.

So far, the Apertura 2017 is demonstrating that no club can afford to line-up more than one or two players younger than 20 years old. Even coaches as different as the experienced José Manuel 'Chepo' de la Torre and the rookie Jaime 'Jimmy' Lozano struggled getting results while handing opportunities.

'Chepo' did lose his job. And 'Jimmy' could be the next one to get the sack.

With De la Torre on the bench, Santos Laguna would have up to four youngsters in their starting eleven: Gerardo Arteaga and Jorge Sánchez (both full-backs), Gael Sandoval (a fine midfielder) and Ulises Rivas (a quite interesting deep-lying playmaker).

Having managed Gallos Blancos' U-20 side, Lozano was promoted after Víctor Manuel Vucetich's dismissal last season. The youngest of all Liga MX coaches immediately promoted in his turn the likes of Jordi Cortizo and Paolo Yrizar, both of them born in Querétaro, both of them attackers.

However, neither Santos Laguna nor Querétaro have been doing well in the Apertura. Pumas and Chivas, which also have relied on their youth ranks for this season, occupy the bottom of the table.

Perhaps the blueprint on how to handle youngters belongs to Antonio Mohamed's Monterrey. Jonathan González is indisputably the rookie of the Apertura, being the only starter whose age is below 20 years old within a midfield which boasts Paraguayan international Celso Ortiz, Uruguayan international Carlos Sánchez and Mexican international Jesús Molina.

González is yet to receive a senior call-up either from Mexico, or from the USMNT, and become cap-tied internationally.

'Me la jugaré con los chavos' ('I will dare handing chances to young players') is something of a populist watchword nowadays in Liga MX: sounds great, but sorting it out on the pitch, and get the results, is tough business.

Club América requires serious internal discussions on the future of Lainez. Together with González, he is one of the league's most talented prospects and, like González, he will need to grow up within a squad of grown-ups.

Héctor Moreno: El secreto para jugar en la Roma

Durante la Euro de Austria y Suiza en el 2008, cierta televisora contrató al 'Vasco' Javier Aguirre como comentarista. Ya no era más el técnico del Atlético de Madrid, pero el partido que comentaba estaba tan aburrido que él empezó a hablar de su experiencia en el Vicente Calderón.

'La gente creerá que estoy loco, pero el jugador que más me impresionó no fue ni Forlán ni Agüero, sino Christian Abbiati (guardameta italiano)', dijo al aire. 'Le dejé muy claro desde el día uno que para mí el titular era Leo Franco (guardameta argentino) y aún así jamás me guardó mal rollo y siempre fue el primero en llegar a los entrenamientos y siempre el último en irse'.

Aguirre remató: 'me sorprendió su ética de trabajo como futbolista y por eso entiendo que el fútbol italiano sea potencia mundial; Abbiati después se marchó de Madrid para ser titular del Milán'.

¿Qué debe hacer pues Héctor Moreno en una liga que no se le da para nada al jugador mexicano como la Serie A? (Miguel Layún fue banqueado por Antonio Conte en el Atalanta de Bérgamo y Rafa Márquez abandonó al Hellas Verona a media temporada antes de que el cuadro acabara descendiendo).

La respuesta es: no guardarle mal rollo a su míster Eusebio di Francesco (quien claramente prefiere a  sus otros zagueros) y ser siempre el primero en llegar a entrenar y siempre el último en irse. Y si encima puede tomar cursos exprés de italiano intensivo, pues qué mejor.

Afortunadamente para el zaguero mexicano, él no atrae los reflectores de un futbolista mexicano más mediático tipo Guillermo Ochoa cuando estaba en el Málaga. El entonces portero titular del cuadro andaluz, el camerunés Carlos Kameni, llegó a sugerir que la prensa mexicana era insufrible y hartante para el DT Javi Gracia y que además Ochoa ni siquiera tenía la decencia de dirigirle la palabra en el vestidor.

Si Moreno quiere aspirar a jugar, que haga lo de Abbiati y que evite lo de Ochoa. De situaciones así solamente se puede salir trabajando muy duro hasta el final de temporada.