Cerebral soccer

All-Italian final was never going to be The Matrix Reloaded

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By Simon Hooper, SI.com

For those who like to promote soccer as an adjunct of the entertainment industry, and for whom therefore Wednesday's Champions League final should have been the sporting equivalent of The Matrix Reloaded, a meeting between Juventus and AC Milan was always destined to disappoint.

It is testament to the Italian passion for soccer as something on a fundamentally more important plateau that neither side felt obliged to put on a show, despite the taunts and pleas from the soccer aesthetes.

Instead, they served up a game of unashamedly Italian complexity played out in accordance with the ultimate Machiavellian maxim: "One judges by the result."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, while most of Europe's media recoiled in horror from the resulting spectacle, only Italy's journalists found anything of merit to praise.

"This night will be remembered as the feast of Italian soccer," said Corriere della Sera, apparently without irony, while a more sober Corriere dello Sport praised Milan's "stoic and admirable performance."

At times the midfield battle that filled most of Wednesday's 120 minutes more resembled an American football or rugby match, so crowded was the narrow strip of pitch into which the action was squeezed.

Yet amid the scorn heaped on the collective performance of the 22 men on the pitch, it has perhaps been forgotten that for most of those players, stopping the other side from scoring represents a job well done and a week's wages earned.

An irony of soccer that is perhaps only fully appreciated in Italy is that a perfect match must end 0-0 since almost every goal is the consequence of a mistake.

On Wednesday, there were outstanding fighting displays in midfield from Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf for Milan and Edgar Davids and Alessio Tacchinardi for Juventus.

In defense Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Ciro Ferrara proved why Serie A still sets the defensive benchmark. And Gianluigi Buffon's one-handed save to deny Pippo Inzaghi's flashing header confirmed his status as the world's best keeper at present.

Yet despite its physical intensity, Wednesday's game was played in a good sporting spirit, a quality not usually associated with Italian soccer, and especially so when compared with last week's bad-tempered but entertaining UEFA Cup final between Porto and Celtic.

Perhaps it was because of the close ties between the teams (Dutchman Davids and Seedorf squaring up, the presence of several players who have played for both rossoneri and bianconeri, the number of Italian international teammates) but every crunching tackle was settled by a handshake. There were just three yellow cards flashed in 120 minutes.

If calcio is to be categorized and appreciated as part of the entertainment business, perhaps it just needs to be recategorized. Italian soccer should surely be a Radiohead album rather than Keanu Reeves in shades.

You can appreciate its technical brilliance, and there's plenty of conceptual depth for the dedicated connoisseur to admire in its strange and otherworldly meanderings. But you wouldn't want to experience it everyday.

Aigner warns England fans to behave UEFA chief executive Gerhard Aigner has issued a stern warning to England's fans to behave or face seeing their national team excluded from international competition. The English FA was fined US$114,500 following crowd disturbances at England's Euro 2004 qualifier with Turkey last month, while England's trip to Slovakia in the same competition also saw clashes between English fans and riot police. England still has to visit Macedonia and Turkey, and Aigner warned both matches would be closely monitored. English clubs were banned from European competition for six years following the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, when 39 died at the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. "I can't imagine that we would ever get to the point we reached in 1985 again," said Aigner. "But if those kind of steps were needed to be taken again, if those extreme measures were needed, we would take them."

Prince Albert ready to help struggling Monaco Monaco's Prince Albert said Thursday the principality would act to help its debt-ridden club and prevent its relegation to the French second division on financial grounds. The club from the millionaires' tax haven, which also won the French League Cup last weekend, has debts totaling at least US$87 million. Monaco says it will appeal the decision, but it has to find an investor first. Player sales could raise as much as US$50 million, while Monaco also stands to benefit financially from its qualification for next season's Champions League. Direct help from the palace could pose problems since the French league limits the level of subsidy clubs are entitled to receive from local authorities. But Prince Albert made it clear the current club management would have to answer for the current situation.

Markarian walks out on Panathinaikos Sergio Markarian has confirmed he is quitting Greek side Panathinaikos for the second time. The Uruguayan coach, whose team was pipped to the title by Olympiakos following a 3-0 defeat earlier in the month, resigned on May 13 after angry fans stormed a training session, resulting in 17 arrests and the players barricading themselves in their changing room. Markarian agreed to reconsider, but talks with the club have broken down. "I couldn't stay, not with the current situation in Greek football," he said. Markarian previously quit last season following a violent pitch invasion that saw the referee assaulted after a draw with Panathinaikos.

Bayern bids for double success Bayern Munich bids for its fourth domestic double when it takes on Kaiserslautern in Saturday's German Cup final in Berlin. "The team really wants the double," said Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld must decide who joins Giovane Elber up front, as Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro injured a knee in training. For Kaiserslautern, which has already earned a UEFA Cup final berth as finalist, the match represents a satisfactory end to a season in which it managed to stave off the twin threats of financial collapse and relegation. Its team features two former Munich favorites: Mario Basler and Ciriaco Sforza.

Milan poised for double celebrations Following its Champions League success, AC Milan's celebrations should continue Saturday as it hosts Roma in the second leg of the Italian Cup final defending a 4-1 lead from the first leg. Roma will be hoping Wednesday's exertions and celebrations have taken their toll, but Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti should have enough in reserve, including Rivaldo, to wrap up Milan's first cup success since 1977. The other remaining issue concerns the fate of Reggina and Atalanta, who must play off to avoid relegation to Serie B. Reggina, Serie A's last remaining southern side, was held at home to a 0-0 draw in Thursday's first leg, with the second leg in Bergamo on Sunday.

Tough weekend in store for title challengers A crucial weekend in the title race sees both Real Sociedad and Real Madrid face tough matches. Sociedad, which leads Madrid by a point, hosts outgoing champion Valencia, currently in fifth and desperate to finish in the top four and claim a Champions League berth. Sociedad leading scorer Darko Kovacevic is struggling with an ankle knock but should be fit. The struggle for fourth place could also destabilize Madrid's challenge, as it takes on No. 4 Celta Vigo, one point clear of Valencia. Both Raul and Zinedine Zidane have been declared fit after injury scares.

Wolverhampton Wanderers The last time Wolves were in England's top flight was 1984. That season they were relegated, the start of a continuous descent over the next three seasons all the way to the old fourth division. Now the club that dominated English soccer in the 1950s is back at the top after clinching promotion to the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Sheffield United in the first division playoff final. Lokomotiv Moscow AC Milan's Champions League victory, which guarantees its place in next season's first group stage, means the Russian champion goes into the qualifying round instead, a move that could cost it millions of dollars.

Wenger in talks with Real Madrid If Real Madrid and Arsene Wenger had ever intended to keep their talks secret, they did a pretty poor job of it. The Arsenal coach was spotted with Real president Florentino Perez and sporting director Jorge Valdano at Paris' Orly airport on Friday by spies working for L'Equipe and filled Europe's sports pages for most of the week. "I met a lot of people on Friday," Wenger told the paper cryptically. On Wednesday, Spain's ABC claimed Wenger's meeting was his fifth with Real officials and that he had been offered a US$14 million contract to replace Vicente Del Bosque, out of favor since Real's Champions League exit. As for Del Bosque, he told As: "I've read what they say about Wenger. I read, listen and analyze everything. I have a contract and I am not worried."

Barca plans Beckham move Meanwhile Barcelona is plotting an English sweep of its own, if Marca is to be believed. The paper claims that Joan Laporta, a candidate in next month's presidential elections at the Catalan club, has struck a deal with Manchester United giving him first option on David Beckham for US$42 million if he wins. That means United won't conduct negotiations with any other club before June 30. Marca claims Barca would have few problems attracting Beckham as it is one of the few clubs currently still willing to pay inflated salaries. Beckham's current US$5 million a year salary is matched by Michael Reizeger and could easily be topped up for the England midfielder.

De Biasi set for Brescia as Baggio ponders options All change at Brescia, where Carlo Mazzone is quitting after three years in charge. The 66-year-old refused to elaborate on his motives amid rumors linking him with a return to Roma and also that Mazzone was unhappy at plans to sell key players. The Gazzetta dello Sport claims Roberto Baggio could also be on the verge of quitting. Baggio's agent told the paper he would decide on his future "after understanding the reasons for Mazzone's departure." Meanwhile Corriere dello Sport says Modena's Giani De Biasi is the favorite for the Brescia job.

"Having two Italian teams in a final doesn't necessarily mean that it will be a defensive game." -- Who was Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon trying to kid?