Dzeko on abuse: why players should stand up and halt matches | OneFootball

The statements made by Edin Dzeko after Fiorentina-AEK Athens have reopened an issue that Italian football keeps postponing: the unhealthy relationship between part of the fanbase and their own players.

Dzeko and the issue of insults from the stands: why players should rebel and stop matches

The Bosnian, visibly shaken after the defeat in the Conference League, admitted without filters the team’s limitations, but at the same time drew a clear line beyond which he no longer intends to remain silent.

His words have become a talking point: Dzeko said, “We can say that we’re crap, it’s not a problem,” but added that he expects at least a minimum of support from the home crowd, even in the worst moments. The point is not technical criticism, but rather the personal insults that multiplied during the match, in an already complex situation for a Fiorentina that Vanoli is trying to rebuild.

Dzeko: self-criticism yes, humiliation no

The striker chose to speak out transparently, taking on heavy responsibilities:

“Are we doing badly? Yes, it’s true. Maybe we don’t deserve this shirt? Fine, that could be. Even that’s not a problem. But when I play at home, I’d like a fan to help me, not whistle at me after every lost ball. Because then it becomes difficult.”

A rare stance, especially for a player who has been through a thousand sporting and personal battles. As Tony Damascelli recalls in Il Giornale, Dzeko is not just any footballer: he is a man who grew up in the midst of the war in Bosnia, used to putting pain and difficulties into perspective.

Damascelli’s reflection: why Dzeko is right

Damascelli emphasizes that the issue is not the whistles. The problem is what often accompanies them:

continuous insults, threats, verbal assaults, a degenerate atmosphere that does not belong in sporting normality.

His position is clear: if part of the crowd crosses the line of sporting civility, players would have the right—and perhaps the duty—to stop the game.

According to the journalist:

“Once and for all, one could stop, walk off. It would take an idea of courage. Dzeko should try to take the first step, remembering that in Sarajevo, it was bombs that whistled.”

A harsh provocation, but one that highlights the disproportion between the sporting frustration of fans and the verbal violence often unleashed on athletes.

Should players leave the field? A question football can no longer avoid

The idea that players could decide to leave the pitch in the face of racist insults, threats, or verbal assaults is not new. But so far, the football system has always preferred to downplay, relying on loudspeaker warnings or subsequent sanctions, often ineffective.

The Dzeko affair brings three key points back to the forefront:

Technical criticism is legitimate, personal insult is not.

Supporters can support but also destroy, especially in difficult moments.

Players’ self-protection is an issue that institutions can no longer keep postponing.

If a champion with over a thousand matches behind him feels the need to ask for respect, it means the line has been widely crossed.

Conclusion: Florence is just a symbol of a national problem

The incidents at the Franchi are nothing new in the Italian football scene. Fiorentina, in this story, is just one of many recent cases. The issue is much bigger and involves an atmosphere that tends to degenerate more and more each year in stadiums.

Dzeko chose to speak out. And he did the right thing. His voice can become a precedent, a turning point. Because a top-level league cannot coexist with the normalization of insult and threat.

Perhaps it really is time to ask: how much longer must players endure everything?

And above all: who will have the courage to be the first to stop?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.