ROME (AP) – Serie A is being criticized as insensitive toward racism after installing a painting at the Italian league's headquarters featuring three monkeys to represent three different races.
While black players are regularly subjected to monkey chants in games, artist Simone Fugazzotto said his painting was meant ''to show that we are all the same race.''
The league is using the painting in its anti-racism campaign, and Fare, soccer's leading discrimination monitoring group, called it ''a sick joke.''
''Once again Italian football leaves the world speechless,'' Fare tweeted. ''In a country in which the authorities fail to deal with racism week after week Serie A have launched a campaign that looks like a sick joke.