*Pretends to be shocked in Italian*
The great-grandson of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini has signed for Lazio, the Serie A club whose fans – or certain factions of them, at least – have deep links to fascism.
Romano Floriani Mussolini, who is 18 years old and whose second name is, wait for it, Benito, is expected to play at right back for the team’s youth side.
Lazio’s youth manager Mauro Bianchessi has said that he has decided to focus on the player’s football, rather than to discuss his second name or surname with his parents.
He told the Repubblica newspaper: “I like him. He’s not a seasoned player yet, but he looks promising.
“The burdensome surname? I’ve never spoken to his parents, and the only thing that matters is whether a player deserves to play. Nothing else. He’s a humble boy who’s never complained.”
His mother, Alessandra Mussolini, is a former MEP. She told Adnkronos news agency: “It’s something I prefer to stay out of. It does not concern me. My son wants no sort of meddling in his private life or choices.”
Romano’s great-grandfather, Benito Mussolini, was the dictator of Italy from 1922 until 1943. He made Italy one of the Axis powers alongside Nazi Germany and Japan in World War II.
On 28 April 1945, in the final days of World War II in Europe, Mussolini was executed by Italian partisans.
