Italy Men’s Water Polo Team Handed Six-Month Suspension for Abuse of Officials
The Italian men’s water polo team was handed a six-month suspension on Thursday for abuse of officials, which will rule them out of the 2025 World Cup.
Italy, which won a silver medal at the 2023 World Cup and silver at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, was also fined $100,000 by the Aquatics Integrity Unit (AQIU), with half of that fine suspended for a probationary period extending two years from the date of adjudication. The ban excludes Italy from any events hosts by World Aquatics, a continental organization or a World Aquatics member organization through April, though Italy can take part in the World Championships in July.
Fans of Italy’s men’s water polo team hang a banner in protest of a call during the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics in an Aug. 9 match with Spain; Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
The incident occurred in an Aug. 7 loss to Hungary in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics. Officials disallowed a goal scored by Italian player Francesco Condemi, finding via video review that he struck Hungarian player Szilard Jansik in the act of shooting. Condemi was found guilty of violent conduct and was ejected from the match. Italy was forced to play down a man for four minutes.
Hungary would go on to win the match, 12-10 in a shootout, which led to protests by coach Alessandro Campagna that the AQIU found to be “in a very aggressive and unsportsmanlike manner.”
In leaving the venue on the day of the match, members of the Italian team, “proceeded to step off their bus to surround and verbally and physically abuse the Referees, as well as World Aquatics delegates and officials” in the parking lot, leading the officials to retreat back inside.
The Italian team lodged a protest at the end of the game that was rejected. A Jury of Appeal convened the next day by World Aquatics found the game referees had not “acted irrationally, arbitrarily or in abuse of their discretion,” though they did acknowledge that the call was incorrect.
In Italy’s classification game against Spain two days later, the team protested by turning their backs on officials during the national anthems in protest and did not observe various protocols before the game. Campagna called a timeout five seconds into the game to replace the entire team in the water in protest, after which Condemi, who had won the opening swim-off, left the game. The team also “chose not to engage in competitive play for the next four minutes,” according to a recap that day.
A preliminary investigation was begun Aug. 9, with a formal charge levied on Aug. 23. The Italian team admitted guilt and that the Italian federation was unaware of its actions. Campagna submitted a formal letter of apology to the referees and World Aquatics delegates.
The full AQIU decision is available here.