The parents of a group of children have been fined for allowing their children to play football outdoors in a public square in Venice, local media reported.
The families of 14 children between the ages of 12 and 13 were fined €50 for allegedly “creating a disturbance to the public peace and a danger for people in transit”, according to an official notice published in the Italian press.
The boys had been playing football earlier this month in the Pino Signoretto square in Murano, an island in the Venetian lagoon where 4,500 inhabitants remain. A resident, annoyed by the noise, reported them to the police, according to local media.
The decision has caused local outrage, with one local councillor, Marco Gasparinetti, arguing on social media that it was a disproportionate reaction.
“Fourteen people were summoned to the barracks by the police. Box snatchers? Pickpockets? Burglars? Drug dealers? No, they are the parents of several boys (12 and 13 years old) identified for playing with a ball on the field at 3pm.
“Question: wasn’t taking the ball away from them (as was once the practice in these cases) enough? Telling them to stop, explaining why, wasn’t a more educational option? “
One parent, Antonio Trampus, told La Stampa: “My son called me in tears. The police wouldn’t listen to reason. They could have called us parents and asked us to take our children home. Instead, they immediately took their names and addresses.”
He continued that they would not pay, after they were warned that the fine could rise to €500 if not paid in 60 days. Instead, the group is planning to appeal and take the matter up with the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro.
Football in public areas is restricted by police and urban security to children up to the age of 11, according to Corriere Del Veneto. A list of forbidden areas was updated in 2019 and Murano allows for children to play on the San Bernardo field.
Local media suggested that the problem with the children in question was that they were over the age of 11.
In 2018, four families were fined over €66 each because their children played in Campiello Pisani, at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory.
