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More problems in Italy
Posted: Tuesday May 09, 2000 10:35 AM
In some ways, Italy is a country of Oliver Stones, a place filled with master conspiracy theorists who see evil, underhanded plots everywhere. Soccer is not immune from this. Last weekend's events in Serie A showed that there is a growing conviction among clubs, players and fans that things aren't quite the way they should be, that no matter what happens, certain clubs (namely Juventus and, to a lesser degree, AC Milan) will always end up on top. Serie A has a serious problem, one which, in the words of Lazio chairman Sergio Cragnotti, could "make the Italian game lose its credibility." Cragnotti has hinted at what some fans already believe, that there is a concerted effort on the part of the Italian federation and referees to favor Juventus. It's not something which is pleasant to discuss. In fact, casting doubt on Juventus' success is wrong and unfair towards the players, management and coaches, who have busted their tail ends all season to produce a powerful, cohesive side, and towards the fans, who are on the verge of celebrating their 26th Italian title. Until somebody comes up with concrete evidence, making accusations is dangerous and unjust. I am not going to debate the merits of the accusations. Regardless of whether they are true or not, the problem remains. The mere perception that something screwy is going on is a serious black mark on the Italian game. Like a pus-filled zit, it can not be ignored. Sometimes appearances are just as important as reality. If people lose faith in the honesty of the game, if people start to think (whether correctly or not) that Serie A is somehow scripted, they will lose interest. They will stop buying tickets, pay-per-view subscriptions and replica shirts and those all-important revenues will dry up. More importantly perhaps, if fans start to believe that Serie A has become like professional wrestling, scripted entertainment, the whole game will come crashing down. There is a reason most kids dream of becoming a Rivaldo or an Alex Del Piero, rather than a Stone Cold Steve Austin: they know Rivaldo and Del Piero are for real, whereas Stone Cold is essentially an actor. If too many people start to believe that Serie A is just a nine-month long feature film, it can't do the game any good. This latest round of accusations stems from the refereeing in Juventus-Parma on Sunday. The bianconeri were hanging on to a 1-0 lead when Parma's Fabio Cannavaro headed the ball past Edwin Van der Sar in injury time. It would have been the goal that might have turned the Serie A title race, because Lazio had just beaten Bologna 3-2 away. Drawing with Parma would have left both Lazio and Juventus level on points heading into the last game of the season. But referee Massimo De Santis disallowed the goal. Juventus cruised to yet another victory and, more importantly, maintained its two point lead over Lazio. On Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti's men visit Perugia, a team which has nothing left to play for and which many believe will roll over and play dead. You might as well sew the scudetto on Juventus' shirts right now, say the cynics. De Santis' decision appeared highly dubious in television replays. He claimed he saw a foul and whistled before Cannavaro's header. Video evidence proves the contrary, the whistle blew just as the ball was hitting the back of the net. A dejected Cragnotti said: "I have spent more than US $180 million in the last two years and for what?" "Only to find out that we can not win. This is the second season running that the Serie A championship is sending us a very precise and distinct signal: Lazio must not win." "If this continues, perhaps Lazio should pull out of Serie A altogether. We'd be better off in European competition or playing in another country's league, with foreign referees. At least that way we would not have to deal with this infection at the heart of Italian football." Referees make mistakes, they are human, nobody doubts that. They are an integral part of the game and, provided they are in good faith, it's reasonable to assume that over the course of a season, good and bad decisions will balance each other out. The problem here is that many believe the officials aren't in good faith. They don't think it's an issue of incompetence or personal errors, they maintain it's an issue of will. Juventus is being willed to victory, they say. And they cite evidence, dating back to twenty years ago. Reams of videos, photo stills and personal testimony which they insist shows dubious decisions in Juventus' favor. From Ramon Turone's "invisible goal" for Roma against Juventus twenty years ago to an unpunished challenge in the penalty box by Mark Iuliano against Ronaldo two seasons back, they claim the "Old Lady of Italian Soccer" has always been favored. It may just be a lot of envy and sour grapes. It may be congenital losers forever playing the part of the victims. Or, there might be something more sinister afoot, though nobody has proved anything and, for the time being, we must assume no such conspiracy exists. Either way, it's time for Serie A to shape up. This suspicion, this poison is infecting the game. Whether it tarnishes legitimate victories by Juventus or rigs the entire championship, it must be stopped. London-based Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com. To submit questions or comments to Gabriele Marcotti, click here.
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