Image courtesy of Triad Publications.
"Steve, sometimes I wake up from a dream,
and I am crying. I am dreaming that
I am back
Please read "My Friend Who Played with Pelé."
His excellent feature articles prompted significant publicity about the plight of the team.
Recently, he wrote a book about the experience.
Please click the image to read my book review on Amazon.com.
Related articles:
My Interview with Luma Mufleh, Youth Coach and Founder of the Fugees Family
I took the picture above at RFK Stadium just
before the game began. In the center were
Stefano Tacconi, Gaetano Scirea and
Antonio Cabrini. Walking on the left were
Sergio Brio, Michel Platini and Paolo Rossi.
In August 1983, Juventus was playing a friendly against Team America, who were the US National Team based in Washington, D.C. Various Italian-American organizations were holding receptions for Juventus. I didn’t feel too comfortable to attend those. But one caught my attention. Vice President George H.W. Bush, a fan of football, and friend of Giovanni Agnelli, the patron of Juventus, invited the team to meet him at his office. Back then, the VP’s office was in the Old Executive Office Building directly next to the White House. So, being young and curious, and a life-long supporter of Juventus, I showed up there one late afternoon. Not really anticipating much, or expecting to be whisked away by security.
But there was no security to be seen. Nor any media. An African chauffeur for one of the Italian diplomats was killing some time, and approached me. We spoke in Italian. He thought I was media covering the event, which made me laugh. He wanted to know why Juventus was such a big deal to meet Vice President Bush? Since he spoke Italian, and worked for a diplomat, I was surprised that he didn’t know who they were. So I gave him some of the history, and told him this was one of the best club teams in the world. A few minutes later, a bus arrived and parked at the corner of 17th Street. Giovanni Trapattoni, who was the coach, yelled out from the door, “Goordoon. Goordoon…” To Gordon Bradley, the former coach of the New York Cosmos, who was coordinating their stay in DC. Mr. Bradley appeared, looked me over, and smiled.
The bus pulled up in front of the building. One by one they descended. Mister Trapattoni, Zibi Boniek, Michel Platini, Paolo Rossi, Gaetano Scirea (who later died tragically on a scouting trip to Poland), Marco Tardelli, Antonio Cabrini, Claudio Gentile, Sergio Brio, Domenico Penzo, and Stefano Tacconi, the heir to legendary keeper, Dino Zoff. They were all wearing Juventus blazers, except for Michel Platini. He was dressed in an elegant green chartreuse suit.
Sergio Brio, a big tall defender, walked by me, and I said, “Forza Juve.” He laughed, smiled, and gave me a wink and a thumb’s up. They brought a signed ball to give to Mr. Bush. If I wanted, I could have walked in right behind them. The chauffeur kept encouraging me with, “Dai Dai” which meant “Go for it.” But I had no credentials, was young, and felt that I had seen enough already by luck or happenstance.
Mistaken for a Juventus Representative
A few minutes later, I was walking down Pennsylvania Avenue, and a big husky American guy came running towards me. I recognized him. It was Jeff Durgan, a former Cosmos defender and the captain of Team America. He seemed lost and frantic. So I asked him if he was there to meet Mr. Bush and Juventus?
“Are you with Juventus? I don’t know where to go, and I have to be there.”
I said no, but showed him the entrance. As we walked, he told me how excited he was to play against this team. I told him that I attended most of his games, and that the Italians would like his defensive style. He laughed. A few days later, they tied, 1 to 1. Mister Trapattoni played his starters for the first half (when Rossi was replaced the crowd whistled but Platini played the entire game), but Team America rose to the occasion and played one of their better games. Chico Borja scored for Team America and Domenico Penzo equalized for Juve. But the real star was Platini. He dazzled the crowd with several slalom-like runs.
Image courtesy of the Italian Lega Calcio.
To learn more about Italian soccer history, please click the image to visit my Italian Calcio and History of the Azzurri page.
The Serie A began in 1929. FC Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) is the only team to play every year in the top flight, and they have won the Scudetto (Championship) for the last four years. For this season, AS Bari, Livorno, and Parma were promoted from Serie B.
A great source for Serie A videos.
You can also view videos on the
Goal4Replay application above this
post.
Online Coverage of the Serie A
For an ESPN Matchtracker of Italian football, please click here.
For a game tracker called Live Match from La Gazzetta dello Sport, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to see a full fixture list.
For those new to Italian calcio, please read my article, Soccer Terminology in the Mother Tongue (Italian to English).
Enjoy the passion of Italian calcio.
Diving.
It is one of the ills of modern football; however, little seems to be done to rid the game of this childish, cheating behavior.
Each year, it seems to draw the same criticisms, along with new controversies. Such as the one involving Eduardo da Silva of Arsenal against Celtic Glasgow in the Champions League. Recently, UEFA overturned a two-game ban on the Croatian star.
But was that proper? Please watch the video, and the position of Eduardo's arms.
What drives players to do this repeatedly, and why do managers allow it? Why don't referees and other authorities clamp down on the offenders?
Dr. Paul Morris of the University of Portsmouth
Dr. Morris has studied the phenomenon of diving (also known as simulation) in great detail.
Here were some of his findings:
"In most dishonest tackles the behaviour itself does not indicate dishonesty, the deception is revealed in the timing and co-ordination of the behaviours.
But one action is unique to a faked fall - the archer's bow.
This occurs in many dives but biomechanically it does not occur in a natural fall.
Instead, instinctively the arms either go down in an attempt to cushion the fall or out to the side for balance.
Although this behaviour is absurd, the fraudulent footballer does it to try to deceive the referee into believing that the tackle was illegal, and the histrionics are necessary to get the referee's attention in the first place.
This behaviour has no national boundaries, everyone does it, it even occurred unprompted during our research trials.
Dr Morris said that a player who positioned his body into this 'peculiar' shape to show that he had been fouled as a result of a tackle looked 'quite bizarre'.
He said: Moving the body like this is completely controlled behaviour so it clearly doesn't show a genuine fall.
'The moment both arms go above the shoulder is a clear indication of deception.' "Source: The Telegraph, 15 September 2009, "Psychologists to help Referees Spot Football's Divers."
Image courtesy of the Italian Lega Calcio.
To learn more about Italian soccer history, please click the image to visit my Italian Calcio and History of the Azzurri page.
The Serie A began in 1929. FC Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) is the only team to play every year in the top flight, and they have won the Scudetto (Championship) for the last four years. For this season, AS Bari, Livorno, and Parma were promoted from Serie B.
A great source for Serie A videos.
You can also view videos on the
Goal4Replay application above this
post.
Online Coverage of the Serie A
For an ESPN Matchtracker of Italian football, please click here.
For a game tracker called Live Match from La Gazzetta dello Sport, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to see a full fixture list.
For those new to Italian calcio, please read my article, Soccer Terminology in the Mother Tongue (Italian to English).
Enjoy the passion of Italian calcio.The Serie A began in 1929. FC Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) is the only team to play every year in the top flight, and they have won the Scudetto (Championship) for the last four years. For this season, AS Bari, Livorno, and Parma were promoted from Serie B.
Quotes of the Week in Italian Calcio
Image courtesy of stock.xchng.
"A great team doesn't rely solely upon one player." Gigi Buffon of Juventus FC
"If I were foreign, I would get more playing time." Sebastian Giovinco of Juventus FC
"The Champions League is our natural habitat. It is in our DNA." Adriano Galliani of AC Milan
"We (Italian football) are very close to losing a place in the UEFA Europa League." Adriano Galliani of AC Milan
"My secret? I have a lot of fun." Pippo Inzaghi of AC Milan
"Pippo Inzaghi is eternal." France Football after Olympique Marseille x AC Milan
"I stopped watching Lazio x Juventus after Stefano Mauri's goal was disallowed, and also because a plate of calamari had arrived at our table." Jose' Mourinho of Internazionale
"When I see Ibrahimovic, I will hug him, but during the game with Barcelona, I don't want to know anything about him." Jose' Mourinho of Internazionale
"The reason Ibrahimovic did so well was due to players like me." Sulley Muntari of Internazionale
"It was strange to play against Barcelona." Samuel Eto'o of Internazionale
"They (Barca) had a lot of possession, but created very little. I thought all of our guys did very well." Julio Cesar of Internazionale
Quotes are courtesy of La Gazzetta dello Sport but translated from the Italian by me.
Live Streaming of the Games
A great source for Serie A videos.
You can also view videos on the
Goal4Replay application above this
post.
Online Coverage of the Serie A
For an ESPN Matchtracker of Italian football, please click here.
For a game tracker called Live Match from La Gazzetta dello Sport, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to see a full fixture list.
For those new to Italian calcio, please read my article, Soccer Terminology in the Mother Tongue (Italian to English).
Enjoy the passion of Italian calcio.The Serie A began in 1929. FC Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) is the only team to play every year in the top flight, and they have won the Scudetto (Championship) for the last four years. For this season, AS Bari, Livorno, and Parma were promoted from Serie B. Online Coverage of the Serie A For an ESPN Matchtracker of Italian football, please click here. For a game tracker called Live Match from La Gazzetta dello Sport, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to see a full fixture list.
Quotes of the Week in Italian Calcio
"We don't feel the necessity of a goal, it will arrive like beautiful play. It does not interest me who will score. It could be also Gigi Buffon on a header." Marcello Lippi of the Azzurri
"We could have scored 4 or 5 more." Marcello Lippi of the Azzurri
"Me in South Africa? Let's hope." Amauri of Juventus FC
"Amauri is not the solution." (to the Azzurri offensive woes) Alberto Gilardino of ACF Fiorentina
"Before I arrived, Inter Milan did not win anything for 17 years." Zlatan Ibrahimovic of FC Barcelona
"Thank you, Ibra, for the 3 Scudetti, we'll see you on Wednesday. The best thing the fans can do is treat him with indifference." Marco Materazzi of Internazionale
"If they (the fans) whistle Ibrahimovic, it wouldn't be scandalous." Massimo Moratti, patron of Internazionale
"Inter is not unbeatable." Alberto Paloschi of Parma
"It is our characteristic to have at least 50% of the roster Italian. Everyone else has their own convictions." Giovanni Cobolli Gigli of Juventus FC
"Nobody can negate that the Juventus block is important for the National Team. Diego wasn't selected by Brasil? I hope that he is called up, but that would leave us only with 7 players to train during international breaks." Ciro Ferrara of Juventus FC
"It is difficult to judge from a distance. He can lead a group, and I hope that he can overcome the difficulties." Ciro Ferrara of Juventus FC on his former Napoli teammate, Diego Maradona.
Quotes are courtesy of La Gazzetta dello Sport but translated from the Italian by me.
Live Streaming of the Games
Week 3 Fixtures
2009/2010 Serie A Fixtures (Printable PDF Version from La Gazzetta dello Sport)
Saturday
Livorno 0 x AC Milan 0
Another disappointing performance by the Rossoneri at newly promoted Livorno. Andrea Pirlo struck a crossbar for their closest threat. Cristiano Lucarelli had two unmarked headers in the penalty area that should have put the Amaranto on the scoreboard.
Lazio 0 of Rome x Juventus 2
In a well-played match, the Old Lady again wins at Stadio Olimpico with two second half goals by Martin Carceres and David Trezeguet. Ex Barca man Carceres was making his Bianconeri debut. Diego was stretchered off in the first half.
Sunday
Atalanta 0 of Bergamo x Sampdoria of Genoa 1 (Watch the video to see Antonio Cassano's assist on the Samp goal as the blucerchiati remain top of the table with Juve and Genoa.)
Bologna 0 x Chievo Verona 2 (The Flying Donkeys win against a struggling Tuscan side.)
Fiorentina 1 x Cagliari of Sardinia 0 (Alberto Gilardino nets the winner for La Viola.)
Internazionale Milano 2 x Parma 0
Parma pushed the Italian champions for the first hour, and one could sense that Inter would again drop points at home. Then Samuel Eto'o opened the scoring with a great curled effort from just outside the area. Diego Milito closed the game a few minutes later. Inter faces Barcelona on Wednesday night at the San Siro.
Palermo 1 x Bari 1 (A quagmire of a pitch, along with an injury time equalizer by Budan, saved the Sicilians as the Puglians allow 2 points to slip away.)
Siena 1 x Roma 2 (John Arne Riise scored the winner on a free kick from 25 meters to give Claudio Ranieri his first win on the Roma bench.)
Udinese of Udine 4 x Catania 2 (Playing with the flu, Toto Di Natale had a tripletta to bring his total to 6 goals in 3 games.)
Genoa 4 x Napoli 1 (Three collective red cards and a stellar second half push Genoa to a share of the top spot. Hernan Crespo scored his first goal for Genoa, and 140th in the Serie A during an Italian career that has also included spells at Parma, Lazio, Internazionale, and AC Milan.)
Video Highlights
A great source for Serie A videos.
You can also view videos on the
Goal4Replay application above this
post.
For those new to Italian calcio, please read my article, Soccer Terminology in the Mother Tongue (Italian to English).
Enjoy the passion of Italian calcio.
“It was great to see WPS players have such an impact on the 2009 European Championships,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “Arriving at Euro 2009 match ready from our 2009 WPS Season proved to bring out the best in these players during the tournament. I’m certain that as WPS continues to grow and develop we will have a tremendously positive impact on the level of play at the national team level in international competitions in the future.”
Image of Marcello Lippi courtesy of Paul Blank and
http://www.postproduktie.nl/.
Mister Lippi, along with 8 Juventus players, returned to Torino and the Vinovo training facility. He managed Juve during two highly successful spells where he won 5 Scudetti (Italian Championships), along with the UEFA Champions League title in 1996.
This will be his first time as an Azzurri manager at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. If Italy wins tonight, it will put them +4 over the Republic of Ireland with two games remaining. Their final two games in this qualification round will be at Croke Park against the Republic and former Azzurri manager, Giovanni Trapattoni. Four days later, Italy will face Cyprus on home soil.
Comments Ahead of the Game
"La sfida di domani sera può dare buone possibilità di qualificazione – dice Lippi -, è la gara più importante da un po’ di tempo a questa parte per tutti, non solo per me da quando sono di nuovo sulla panchina della Nazionale”."The test of tomorrow night could give us a good possibility to qualify, it is the most important game in a long time in these parts for all of us, not only for me since I returned to the National team bench."
"Abbiamo qualità tecniche importanti e anche doti di altra natura. Non sentiamo la necessità del gol, arriverà come il bel gioco. Non mi interessa chi segnerà, potrebbe farlo anche Buffon di testa. Gigi è un fantasista come Messi, Kakà e Maradona. Voglio qualificarmi, per vincere mi va bene anche un rimpallo o un autogol degli avversari”.
"We have important technical qualities and also other natural gifts. We don't feel the necessity of a goal, it will arrive like beautiful play. It does not interest me who will score. It could be also Gigi Buffon on a header. Gigi is a creative talent like Messi, Kaka' and Maradona. (joking)“Berbatov gioca in una grande squadra, le sue qualità si sono evidenziate al Manchester. Ha grandi doti tecniche, sa fare gol e farlo fare. Lo abbiamo affrontato all’andata e per fermarlo ci è voluta tutta l’attenzione dei nostri difensori. La Bulgaria ha buone qualità, non ha mai perso fino ad ora e proverà con tutte le forze ad arrivare seconda nel girone."
I want to qualify, to win would also be fine with me to have a a deflection or an own goal by the opponents."
"Berbatov plays in a great team, and his qualities are evidenced at Manchester United. He has great technical gifts, and he knows how to score goals and he makes it happen. We confronted him during the first game in Bulgaria to stop him and it took full attention by our defenders. Bulgaria has good qualities, they have never lost up until now and will try with all their force to arrive second in the group."Italian Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport, 8 September 2009.
"A first half of spectacular play and entertainment. I am glad for the lads that they weren't deprived. There was a lot of technical quality and we could have scored another 4 or 5 goals. In the second half we controlled things, this is a period of the season in which we are not at our best condition. It went well like this. The young players did well, but also the 'older' ones of the group.
With a draw in Dublin we are qualified. If regretably we lose, we have Cyprus three days later at home."
Azzurri captain Fabio Cannavaro makes his 128th
appearance tonight. Image courtesy of Paul Blank
and http://www.postproduktie.nl/.
"Nobody talked about these games during the week, nobody gives a damn about the soccer environment. One heard of Cassano, Mourinho, of everything except that we are playing. Georgia isn't Brasil, but to win here is still important ahead of WC 2010, we can get much closer to the objective. But instead in Italy, they only discuss big fixtures.""Non potevo chiamare gli Under 21 prima della fase finale dell’Europeo, che si erano guadagnati sul campo. Non giocano titolari nei club, tipo Santon? Chi non gioca mai fa bene ad andarsene, ma i giovani che giocano una gara sì e due no possono comunque mettersi in luce, può comunque valer la pena così".
"I couldn't call up the Under 21 before the final phase of the European Championship that they earned on the field. Not everyone starts for their clubs, such as Davide Santon? Who never plays would be better to go elsewhere (for playing time), but the young players who play a game or two can't put themselves in the best light, so it would be worthwhile (for them to get first team football elsewhere.")"Cosa voglio che cambi rispetto alle ultime uscite? Vorrei che la palla andasse dentro") si affida a lui: Giuseppe Rossi. E’ un’investitura: "Ha grandi qualità, e in alcune partite il salto di qualità l’ha già fatto, giocando benissimo".
"What would I change with regards to the last three games? I would like that the ball went into the net." On Giuseppe Rossi: "He has great quality, and in some games he raised his level. He is playing very well."Italian Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport, 4 September 2009.
"We went enough times near their goal. They had a great start, but we controlled them without many problems.Kakha Kaladze After the Game
Was the attack still shut down?
When you make dangerous plays that put your opponents in a difficult position creating errors, this is also a goal."
"The team did well, we had heart, we demonstrated character on the pitch and I'm sorry that due to my fault we conceded two goals, but in football, it happens.
In the second half, they began very well, then we conceded after 11 minutes and the game ended there. I can only restate that I am sorry and many compliments to Italy."
"I am against foreign ownership in the Serie A." Giancarlo Abete, President of the Italian FA (FIGC)
"It doesn't bother me to hear the talk of selecting Amauri or Cassano for the Azzurri. I am here to give the maximum." Giuseppe Rossi of Villarreal and the Azzurri
"I don't like that when Mourinho talks, everything he says is seen as law." Fabio Cannavaro of Juventus
"Antonio Cassano is a great player, we were together at Real Madrid, and he is a friend of mine. But we must respect the choices of the Mister." Fabio Cannavaro of Juventus
"Cannavaro is still a player. But he talks like a manager, director, or president." Jose' Mourinho of Internazionale
"By the same logic, if he (Cannavaro) told Davide Santon to leave Inter, he should advise Nicola Legrottaglie and Sebastian Giovinco to leave Juventus if they don't see first team playing time." Jose' Mourinho of Internazionale
"Nobody gives a damn about us. All I read is talk about Cassano and Mourinho this week, and we have two important World Cup qualifiers." Marcello Lippi of the Azzurri
"With regards to Cassano, you have to respect my choices." Marcello Lippi of the Azzurri
"From our point of view, it would be an honor to see Cassano with the Azzurri, and from my perspective, he merits it. But we have the highest respect for the choices of Mr. Lippi." Beppe Marotta of Sampdoria
"This is the crowning moment of a lifelong dream." Claudio Ranieri of AS Roma
"Roma needs a shake up." Claudio Ranieri of AS Roma
"I am sorry that Luciano Spalletti resigned." Rosella Sensi of AS Roma
"I have confidence in Leonardo." Silvio Berlusconi of AC Milan
"We are the Italian team that has changed managers the least in recent years." Adriano Galliani of AC Milan
"I am leaving Juventus in June." David Trezeguet of Juventus
"Alex Del Piero is our captain, but I have four strikers of the highest level and can't guarantee time to anyone." Ciro Ferrara of Juventus
"I have never considered the idea of giving Ferrara advice. I am a fan President and not a technical President." Giovanni Cobolli Gigli of Juventus
Courtesy of La Gazzetta dello Sport, but translated from the Italian by me.
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