Why Serie A players have a red stripe on their faces

All Serie A players will be donning a red stripe dashed on their cheeks during the 13th round of fixtures this weekend to raise awareness for the league’s Un Rosso alla Violenza (‘A red to violence’) campaign. 

This is the eighth year that Serie A has supported the campaign, which is aimed at raising awareness surrounding physical and psychological abuse towards women in Italy. 

The Lega Serie A have provided some damning statistics to show why the campaign is still of importance. 

In a statement, the league wrote that 98 women were killed in Italy in 2024, and of those 98 lives lost, 86% were at the hands of a loved one or family member. 

It is estimated that 31.5% of women have suffered some form of physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime, and that over 28% of them refuse to talk about their experiences. 

“Football is not just a sport, it is also a powerful social phenomenon which is capable of reaching millions of fans. For this reason, we have to use all its strength to raise awareness and spread fundamental values such as mutual respect, solidarity and non-discrimination,” said Lega Serie A President Lorenzo Casini in a statement.