November 2009
5 posts
A numbers game.
There has been much controversy over Juventus’s claim that upon winning another league title they will adorn their shirt with a third star. This star would be to symbolise a 30th scudetto, but as a result of the two revoked after ‘calciopoli’ they theoretically now only have 27.
Their record books show the number as 29, though the 2004/05 and 2005/06 titles are accompanied by a small asterisk....
A thorny friendship.
After the final whistle had blown at the end of Fiorentina’s 2-0 home win against Liverpool in the Champions League, Fiorentina ‘ultras’ marched across the pitch towards the away fans proudly displaying a massive banner with the words, “Welcome Reds your story is for us a legend”.
The two sets of fans had agreed to what in Italy is called a ‘gemellaggio’, a twinning.
Whilst this gesture was...
Notes from an international weekend: Cassano,...
Last Saturday the Azzurri drew 0-0 at home to the Netherlands despite the presence of Superman on the pitch.
For once the Superman mentioned in connection with the Italian national team is not Gigi Buffon, but a pitch invader, dressed as Superman with the words “Cassano in nazionale” [Cassano in the national team] added.
When asked to comment on the unexpected guest coach Marcello Lippi...
Super Mario: in search of mentorship.
Last Sunday (8/11/2009) after Inter’s 1-1 home draw against Roma coach José Mourinho was asked by journalists to give a verdict on Mario Balotelli’s performance. He replied:
“Close to zero. Little movement, few dangerous actions, I didn’t like it. The problem with him is that you never know what to expect, he can give a lot or he can give nothing.”
These words appear harsh, when we consider that...
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Witness reveals truth behind match-fixing scandal....
“Calciopoli a sensational testimony at the Processo di Napoli” screamed the headline of last Saturday’s Gazetta dello Sport, “This is how we fixed the referee draws.”
The headline promised an explanation of Italian football’s darkest hour.
One could only wonder what kind of trickery had been revealed during the Processo di Napoli, the criminal trial into the...