Ever since I've been watching football I never knew that it's against the rule of football to send political or religious messages. Although I know that some countries have strong punishment against blasphemers and can go any length to serve them justice. I know of countries like Iran and Pakistan where blasphemers can be put to death.
A Udinese midfielder, Rolando Mandragora has put himself in trouble for making a blasphemous remark against God during a match between Sampdoria few days ago. The 21-year old Italian footballer was clearly seen calling God a "dog" with the help of lips reading. This blasphemous statement has landed Rolando a match ban against Florentina
I did a little search about Italian laws and I found out that Italy is a religious country that considers blasphemy as a very big offence and it's punishable under the law. In a country like Nigeria where sharia law is practised in some Northern states, religious extremists would demand that a person like Rolando is banished from the club, beaten publicly beaten for making a derogatory remark against Allah. Oooh yeah! You heard me right
I feel that even if there's freedom of speech, a professional footballer should be mindful of the kind of speech he makes on the pitch. Even if he's an atheist or irreligious, he should at least respect other people's religion.
What do you guys think about this punishment ? Do you think a footballer should not be sanctioned for freedom of speech?
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