This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
On December 16, 2019, Italian soccer league Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo and Italian artist Simone Fugazzotto presented an anti-racism campaign artwork featuring three side-by-side paintings of apes in Milan, Italy.
The artwork, created by Fugazzotto, was intended to promote integration, multiculturalism, and brotherhood, but it has been met with widespread criticism from Italian clubs and the public.
Italian clubs AS Roma and AC Milan have expressed their disapproval of the artwork, which the league initially defended as a symbol of unity and diversity.
However, after facing backlash, Serie A's chief executive Luigi De Siervo apologized for the artwork, stating, 'We realized it was inappropriate.'
Artist Simone Fugazzotto, who uses apes in much of his work, defended his creation, saying, 'We are all monkeys.'
