A court in Naples recently ordered Inter to pay a Napoli fan €1,500 compensation for “existential damage” caused by banners displayed during a match. The banners described Naples as the “sewer of Italy”, an insult referring to a chronic refuse crisis that had left rubbish rotting in the streets of Naples.
Provocative abuse was displayed on other banners at the match, which Inter won 2-1, including “Ciao cholera sufferers!” and “Neapolitans have tuberculosis”. Inter fans also sang offensive chants. Raffaele Di Monda, representing the Napoli fan (identified only as GDB), argued that the concerted and vindictive abuse made his client feel “indignant and deeply hurt”. In addition to damages, the court ordered Inter to pay Mr GDB’s costs, making the courtroom contest 2-0 to Napoli.
Jozy Altidore and Giuseppe Rossi are new buds at Villareal (translation from club website).
“Rossi, who lived his early years in the U.S., and Jozy Altidore, American by birth, form an inseperable duo both on and off the field. The ongoing language barrier has favored Altidore to be supported by Rossi at the moment of integrating into the group. “He’s my best friend. He’s helping me out a lot in the locker room and, besides, we have a lot in common,” Jozy commented…”
Italy’s successful winning women’s fencing team were angered at the weekend when they flew back from Beijing in economy while the nation’s under-achieving Olympic football players were stretching out in first class. Valentina Vezzali won Gold in the individual foil at the Games with Margherita Granbassi taking Bronze before Italy finished third in the team foil event.
The soccer side surprisingly lost to Belgium in the quarter-finals.
One of the fencers raged: “How can this be? We won a Gold and two Bronze and they treat us like this, while they [the footballers] didn’t win anything but they are in business class.”
UPDATE - Balotelli received his Italian Passport on Wednesday after being granted citizenship.
“I’m Italian from birth but it’s only become fact today,” said Balotelli. “There was a moment in which I considered accepting the offer and saying yes to the Ghana side, but then the idea of playing for the country where I have been since birth prevailed.
“Now I’m waiting for a call from (Italy coach Marcello) Lippi or (under-21 coach Pierluigi) Casiraghi.”
I’m betting he’s going to be hearing something pretty soon.
Super Mario Balotelli only has to wait until August 12th (when he officially turns 18 years old) to finalize his Italian Passport, one that has kept him from representing Italy at the Youth International Level.
Balotelli was born to Ghanian parents, but was adopted (although never made official) by the Balotelli family of Brescia back in 1993 at the age of 3.
At 15 years old, Super Mario made his Serie C debut with Lumezzane against Alexi Lalas’ old side Padova. In 2006 the 6′2 1/2″ 16 year old made his way to Inter, starting with the U-17’s, moving quickly to the Primavera (Reserves) side and made his Serie A full team debut on December 17, 2007, replacing Honduran David Suazo in a 2-nil win over Cagliari.
Balotelli would start in Inter’s Coppa Italiano match four days later scoring 2 goals in a 4-1 win over Reggina Calcio.
He would follow that up with 3 Serie A goals, scoring perhaps his most important and assisting on Vieira’s goal against Siena on the final day of the season.
Despite Ghana making numerous approaches for the 17 year old to represent the Black Stars, Balotelli has refused as he feels fully Italian and sees the passport debacle as just one more step in the process of representing Italy at the highest level.
I’m gonna call it right now.. Balotelli killing it at 2010.
This is the most exclusive, most expensive, and most legendary Lamborghini to come out of the Lamborghini Factory in Sant’ Agata Italy. The video shows every square inch of the car, interior, exterior, engine, wheels, etc. This car is selling for $2.5 Millions USD at Silicon Valley Auto Group in Northern California. 10 out of 20 reside in the U.S.A.
Former Chelsea striker Pierluigi Casiraghi (and his former Chelsea drop-back forward, Assistant Gianfranco Zola) have named their official 2008 Olympic Squad that’s heading for Beijing.
One of my favorite up and coming players, Sebastian Giovinco has talent that is reminiscent of another couple of pint sized #10’s from Argentina / Italy and will be looking to explode on the world scene this summer in Beijing.
You knew the moment Italy went out of the 2008 Euro’s following their Quaterfinal penalty kick loss to Spain that Roberto Donadoni’s head was on the chopping block.
When Donadoni took over the top spot following Marcelo Lippi’s guidance to the 2006 World Cup trophy you always felt it would be very difficult for the former Italy and AC Milan star unless Italy made the finals of Euro 2008.
Huge match today in Zurich as France as are set to face Italy on ESPN at 11.30am (West Coast) while Holland take on Romania on ESPN Classic at the same time in Berne, Switzerland. Group C
Holland - 6 pts +6 goal difference
Romania - 2 pts 0
France - 1 pts -3
Italy - 1 pts -3
Will we see the great Zizou make an appearance in the stands today?
Fiorentina’s Montilivo was the odd man out after Donadoni had named 24 players to his initial training roster (as Perrotta had a calf injury worry).
The world champions face Belgium in a friendly in Florence on Friday ahead of their Euro 2008 Group C matches against the Netherlands, Romania and France.
Italy’s 23-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Morgan De Sanctis (Sevilla) Defenders: Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Christian Panucci (AS Roma), Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Fabio Grosso (Lyon)
Midfielders: Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Simone Perrotta (AS Roma), Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus)
Forwards: Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Marco Borriello (Genoa), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria, on loan from Real Madrid)
