The Italian women’s cup final has been called off as a result of alleged comments by a senior football official referring to female players as a “bunch of lesbians”. Brescia were scheduled to play Tavagnacco on Saturday but the match has been scrapped, the association representing female players and coaches, has confirmed.
Felice Belloli, the president of the county’s amateur football association, allegedly made the comments when discussing funding for women’s football in the country. At a meeting of the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti he is alleged to have said: “That’s enough, we can’t always talk about giving money to this bunch of lesbians.”
The Italian Football Association (FIGC) opened an investigation last Friday after it had been sent the minutes of the LND meeting but Belloli was quick to deny making the comments. “I never signed those minutes,” Belloli told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Can you see my signature on them? No, and I can tell you why – because minutes can be taken and amended by anybody. I know how the minutes are taken at the LND. All I am saying is that I did not utter that phrase.”
Luisa Rizzitelli, president of the national association for female athletes, is among those calling for Belloli to resign while Patrizia Panico, the Verona and Italy midfielder, said that if the comments had been accurately reported then they were “sexist, male chauvinist and ignorant”.
