Celebrating one year of The Good Football
🥳 Here's to more (years and good football)
Hello, and a special ciao to all the new Italian subscribers who came through L’Ultimo Uomo. I'm still beaming over having a piece featured in such a wonderful magazine.
Happy birthday to us!
June 22nd marked the first anniversary of The Good Football newsletter, and as I reflected on what I wanted to share for the occasion, June 10th came with the answer to my question.
That was when three Valencia CF fans who racially abused Vinicius Jr in May 2024 were sentenced to eight months in jail and a two-year stadium ban - the first conviction for racism crimes in the Spanish League. Last year's episode in Valencia was one of the main catalysts for the creation of this newsletter, and it feels right (and quite delayed, let's be honest) to be now talking about this historical sentence.
If you have been here since post #1, you might remember that, initially, what happened at Mestalla Stadium that day made me question my hopes for the growth of the kind of football that is good for the world. But eventually, despair turned into motivation, and well, here we are. Talking about the good football for a year now, watching big changes achieved because of those who choose to fight and holding on to hope for all the things that haven't changed yet.
After a whole season of refusing to accept the reality he encountered in Spain, Vinicius Jr. reacted to the announcement of his abusers’ sentence with a strong statement. He said he is “not a victim of racism, but a tormentor of racists.”
His response had an even bigger impact on me than the sentence itself.
Yes, the conviction is quite significant, and the fact that La Liga is proudly promoting it as a victory and using it as a warning to prevent future episodes makes it an even bigger deal. This sort of achievement is indispensable to ending racism in football.
I don't take any of that for granted, but I happen to have more faith in change which is generated actively rather than reactively. After all, chances are high that this would not have come through if Vini, fellow players, and allies had not resisted and fought.
His response is not just a simple acknowledgment of the victory but a well-thought-out, intentionally crafted, and emotion-filled statement. He is saying it loud and clear, once and for all, so everyone understands: a tormentor of racists is what he is.
I believe that an active and defiant posture is our best shot at building the good football. And my hope for this platform is that it can be a community that actively works to achieve that. That equips and inspires more people to do so, too.
With so many elements in the football industry that seem to work against this ideal, navigating skepticism is inevitable. But it might just be a necessary evil to accomplish real and lasting change.
I believe that there has never been a better time to be a builder of the good football, and I look forward to what is still to come. Thank you for joining the voyage, and to all the new subscribers, welcome onboard!
I would love to hear from you now. Why do you believe in good football? Please drop your answer in the comments!
THE GOOD LINKS
🎧 This list of Women's football podcasts, found on
.💡 This clever campaign for unsponsored running athletes, found on
.🌊 A football-inspired collection to raise awareness about the lives lost in the Mediterranean migratory routes.
💯 This solid example of a good man.
🪡 This collection born out of a partnership between Adidas and ‘Someone Somewhere’ that honors
👏 These two women football Cannes awarded cases, found on
: This one and this other one.A big thank you to everyone who sends me ideas for this section, please keep them coming!