Did you know: Town in Italy that has banned cricket?

Did you know: Town in Italy that has banned cricket? (Source: X)

In a country where football dominates sports, cricket has long existed on the margins. But in the northeastern Italian town of Monfalcone, the game has become the centre of a heated political and cultural debate. In 2023, the town administration effectively banned cricket in public spaces.

Town in Italy that has banned cricket

Monfalcone, located near Trieste on Italy’s Adriatic coast, has a population of just over 30,000. Nearly one-third of its residents are foreign nationals, most of them Bangladeshi Muslims who began arriving in the late 1990s to work at the massive Fincantieri shipyard, one of Europe’s largest cruise ship builders. Over the years, their presence has evolved parts of the town’s social and cultural fabric.

The ban was introduced under former mayor Anna Maria Cisint, a member of the right-wing League party, who rose to power on a strong anti-immigration platform. Under her administration, anyone caught playing cricket in Monfalcone’s public spaces could face fines of up to Euros 100.

The mayor justified the decision by arguing that the town lacked the space and funds to build proper cricket facilities. She also cited safety concerns, claiming cricket balls posed a danger. However, these claims were challenged by Fabio Marabini, former president of the Italian Cricket Federation. He pointed out that what was being played in Monfalcone was informal park cricket, typically with softer balls, not the hard leather balls used in professional matches.

Teenagers reportedly been fined after being caught playing in local parks

For members of the Bangladeshi community, the ban felt less about safety and more about identity. Many now practise outside town limits, near Trieste airport, to avoid police intervention. Some teenagers have reportedly been fined after being caught playing in local parks. Many of these migrants work long hours at the Fincantieri shipyard, contributing to an industry that struggles to find local labour amid Italy’s declining birth rate and workforce shortages. Shipyard officials have maintained that wages comply with Italian law, rejecting claims of unfair pay practices.

The cricket ban is part of a broader set of measures introduced during Cisint’s tenure. These included removing park benches where Bangladeshis gathered, limiting collective prayer at Islamic centres on urban planning grounds, and criticising the attire of Muslim women at local beaches. The mayor argued that Monfalcone’s cultural identity and Christian values were under threat, stating that the town’s history was being “erased.”

At the national level, Italy faces a complex reality. While Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has taken a firm stance on immigration rhetoric, her government has also expanded work permits for non-EU labour to address workforce shortages. Economists estimate that Italy will need hundreds of thousands of foreign workers annually in the coming decades to sustain its economy.

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