Suspended for Nazi tattoos, now the repentant boxer has decided to cover them: “I want to go back to the ring”

TRIESTE. From matches in the ring to legal ones, from gloves to stamped cards. Taking a step back. The tattoos of the scandal – those symbols with clear references to Nazism that have outraged sporting Italy – will be covered. Before, there has already been a repentance before the sports judges.

The Trieste boxer Michele Broili in September last year had entered the home ring for the super-feather tricolor, showing unmistakable tattoos on his chest: the Totenkopf, the “death’s head”, the SS symbol of the Nazi Schutzstaffel and the words “Return to Camelot” , with reference to the gathering of neo-Nazi groups in Veneto. An unacceptable performance. A scandal that had prompted the Boxing Federation to open an investigation and to suspend the boxer and his coach of the Ardita company, Denis Conte, former regional secretary of Forza Nuova.

Since that day, Broili as a boxer hasn’t been talked about anymore. In the meantime, a phase of investigations and documentation of sports justice has begun. First the Federal Supreme Court of the FPI, then the Federal Court of Appeal. Now the appeal by Broili and Conte to the Guarantee College against Federboxe itself. An appeal to further reduce the duration of the suspension which is 515 days for Broili and 140 days for Conte.

So far it would seem a little exciting story of appeals and counter-claims but the real news lies in the reasons with which the Federal Court of Appeal has already filed the stop for Broili compared to the 650 days inflicted on him in the first instance. The boxer from Trieste in fact repented by undertaking to cover the tattoos. The Federal Court of Appeal writes in decision 4/22: “We cannot fail to take into due consideration the path of repentance undertaken …. This conviction of the College (the reduction of the duration of the suspension, ed.) on general assessments such as the good behavior held by the accused and the fact that the tattoos object of the blame were made at a young age, therefore probably without a full awareness of the antisocial significance of the gesture, on the specific fact of having worked spontaneously and effectively to mitigate and, in perspective, eliminate the harmful consequences of one’s action through a treatment to cover them ». The document also refers to photographic evidence and direct verification.

Tattoos covered but apparently not completely removed. «I don’t know when I will be able to return to the ring, I would like to by 2022 but it is not up to me. I will certainly do it by solving the problem of tattoos – explains Broili – They will no longer be visible, they will probably be covered by other images or by something that can cover them well from the public’s view ».

The conditions for being able to return to fight are clear and no tricks will be tolerated to circumvent the impositions. Those pro-Nazi tattoos are unacceptable. They must be deleted. Only in this way will Broili be able to think about his sporting goal. «I’m aiming for the Italian title of the Superpiuma. Despite the inactivity I kept the seventh place in the national ranking. I have to shed the extra kilos but I want to resume my run ». Without those terrible tattoos anymore.