Racism blights youth football in Italy as much as it does the top leagues, with about 80 cases recorded over the last two seasons, campaigners have said.

The issue has resurfaced after a string of incidents in Serie A in recent weeks, but scant attention has been given to what occurs in the lower rungs. Children as young as 12 are suffering racist abuse from adversaries and spectators, according to an independent organisation that collates data on racism incidents.

“The attention on racism in football has only been noted when it happens in Serie A or B,” said Mauro Valeri, who leads the Observatory on Racism in Football. “However, there are many episodes in the youth teams, especially among very young players. The issue is not considered to be a serious problem. But in reality, if you look at the quantity – in the last two years alone I’ve registered about 80 episodes.”

Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, urged the Italian football authorities to punish racists on Sunday after a Serie A match was briefly suspended following complaints from the Fiorentina player Dalbert that he was the target of racist chants and monkey noises from Atalanta fans.

“You can’t have racism in society or in football,” Infantino said. “In Italy the situation hasn’t improved and this is serious.”

Days earlier the Inter Milan coach, Antonio Conte, noted that racism in Italian football was getting “worse and worse” after Inter’s Romelu Lukaku was subjected to abuse during a match against Cagliari. A high-profile pundit was then sacked after using the word “banana” when describing Lukaku’s play.

Valeri depends on local newspapers to track the prevalence of racism in youth football. In March, spectators yelled racist abuse at a 14-year-old goalkeeper, Eddie Gallinari, born in Italy to Ecuadorian-Italian parents, during a game between local sides in Savona, Liguria. The insults were heard by Gallinari’s mother, Ana Montoya Vera, as she watched her son’s team, Priamar, play Cairese.

“It was very upsetting and it affected Eddie more at the time because he had just lost his grandad,” said Montoya Vera. “But he is mature and we spoke about it and challenged it. The problem of racism has grown and if it’s not dealt with adequately then the taunts could lead to something more serious, especially if it happens to a child who is not so strong.”

The racists were never identified and while Cairese apologised, the club shirked responsibility for its fans.

Gallinari’s case received more media coverage than usual following the intervention of Simone Valente, a parliamentarian with the Five Star Movement, who at the time was an under-secretary at the Ministry of Sport.

“It’s important that the government condemns these acts immediately,” said Valente, who was born in Savona. “But essentially, confronting racism needs to start in schools. Almost every week you read about a case at youth level, but even if it only happens once a year it’s no different. Racism shouldn’t exist at all.”

According to guidelines from the Italian football federation, a referee can abandon a match if two warnings, given over the PA system, fail to stop racist chants. Players found guilty of racism face disqualification. But racism is most prevalent among fans, who are more difficult to identify and punish. Cagliari escaped punishment over the alleged abuse of Lukaku because the stadium chants were inaudible.

The issue is even more difficult to address in youth games as matches are played in stadiums that are not equipped with the technology to record the evidence. Valeri said racist abuse in the stands came from children and parents of rival players. He said it was not taken seriously as people denied they were being racist even when they used racist language.

“Those in positions of responsibility just say that words don’t hurt,” said Valeri. “The problem is very deep … Italy has never regarded itself as a multi-ethnic country, and while other countries have seriously addressed racism in football, Italy never has.”