No-one knows how to have a crisis quite like those folks at Inter Milan. Not Kate Moss, the Lib Dems, or even the Argentine economy. When the team that wears black and blue have a trauma, they go big time. Recent events boiled over into ugly scenes and the less successful Milan side is now in a right old mess, despite a place in the Coppa Italia final already booked.
Last week’s Champions League defeat, but moreover perfromance, at unfancied Villareal really upset the fans and directors - the players all seemed to be leaden-footed, lacking ideas, and generally clueless.
Not one of them did anything of any note, apart from Materazzi, who living up to his reputation as a brainless yob (on the pitch) and elbowed Argentina captain Juan Pablo Sorin in the face. The referee didn’t see the incident, but the UEFA video-watching Discipline and Control committee will give the lanky defender a hefty ban. He wasn’t the only one to make a prat of himself though, as baldy grouch Juan Sebastian Veron spent practically most of the match bickering with the very same man, heavy metal fan Sorin.
The rumour is that the Villareal wing-back has urged Argentina boss Jose Pekerman to ignore Veron and give his role as playmaker to Juan Roman Riquelme, who happens to be his club teammate at the Spanish side. Seeing the match as the perfect chance to have a one-to-one (or should that be 'Juan-to-Juan'?) with Sorin, the ex-Chelsea and Manchester United flop overstepped the mark, hacking and snarling at his compatriot constantly.
Inter not only let themselves down in football terms, but behaved ridiculously as well. This night of disgrace was the last straw for a small selection of fans, who hatched a plot.
Last Sunday, as the team returned home from a scrappy league victory against Ascoli, they were attacked by a group of fans at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. At around three o’ clock, about 100 'Ultras' threw insults and worse at the players as they arrived at Terminal 2. The person who suffered the most was midfielder Cristiano Zannetti, who was punched, hit by a stone and then a fire-cracker. He was targeted because he has already signed a pre-contract deal with Juventus, so is seen as a complete traitor by the hardcore followers.
Inter supporters are sick of the barren years and the banners in the stadium are always along the same lines, castigating greedy players and lamenting the lack of success, like in this recent example: 'TWENTY YEARS OF FAILURE THANKS TO YOU DIRTY MERCENARIES!'
The person who nobbled Zannetti has been arrested, and charged with ABH and throwing a fire-cracker, while every day more of the airport idiots are captured by the police.
There is no peace in private though, due to the civil war in the dressing-room, where the Argies are all very brassed off with Adriano, who appears to have gone into sleep mode before the World Cup begins. The most vocal member of the anti-Adriano camp is - take a guess - Mr. Happy himself, JS Veron. In fact, the man who left Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge unimpressed has been a grumpy twit all season, rowing with Totti and Kaka as well as the aforementioned Adriano and Sorin. Quite what has happened to transform him into such a cantankerous git is anyone’s guess, but he is not a cheerful man these days.
All of the leaks and whispers from the changing-room have enraged club president Giacinto Facchetti, who has promised to find the mole who keeps letting these secrets out into the open. Manager Roberto Mancini is equally fed up, and shocked the media by announcing to a press conference that he is thinking of leaving Serie A.
"I have the desire to go abroad," said the floppy-haired tactician. He also complained, "Football in Italy is no longer fun." There are some suggestions that he sees himself working in England in the very near future, maybe as a number two to his great friend Sven-Goran Eriksson at Manchester United or Newcastle next year. If this is the case he should think carefully. In the Premiership he won’t have to worry about fans attacking him, but the drinking habits and first touch of the average Premiership player may scare him more than any thug brandishing stones, fireworks and nasty words.
But at least he can relax for a few days, until Friday, when it will be the Milan derby, and all hell will break loose again. Life at Inter is not fun, but at least it isn’t dull either.
Sheridan Bird
Last week’s Champions League defeat, but moreover perfromance, at unfancied Villareal really upset the fans and directors - the players all seemed to be leaden-footed, lacking ideas, and generally clueless.
Not one of them did anything of any note, apart from Materazzi, who living up to his reputation as a brainless yob (on the pitch) and elbowed Argentina captain Juan Pablo Sorin in the face. The referee didn’t see the incident, but the UEFA video-watching Discipline and Control committee will give the lanky defender a hefty ban. He wasn’t the only one to make a prat of himself though, as baldy grouch Juan Sebastian Veron spent practically most of the match bickering with the very same man, heavy metal fan Sorin.
The rumour is that the Villareal wing-back has urged Argentina boss Jose Pekerman to ignore Veron and give his role as playmaker to Juan Roman Riquelme, who happens to be his club teammate at the Spanish side. Seeing the match as the perfect chance to have a one-to-one (or should that be 'Juan-to-Juan'?) with Sorin, the ex-Chelsea and Manchester United flop overstepped the mark, hacking and snarling at his compatriot constantly.
Inter not only let themselves down in football terms, but behaved ridiculously as well. This night of disgrace was the last straw for a small selection of fans, who hatched a plot.
Last Sunday, as the team returned home from a scrappy league victory against Ascoli, they were attacked by a group of fans at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. At around three o’ clock, about 100 'Ultras' threw insults and worse at the players as they arrived at Terminal 2. The person who suffered the most was midfielder Cristiano Zannetti, who was punched, hit by a stone and then a fire-cracker. He was targeted because he has already signed a pre-contract deal with Juventus, so is seen as a complete traitor by the hardcore followers.
Inter supporters are sick of the barren years and the banners in the stadium are always along the same lines, castigating greedy players and lamenting the lack of success, like in this recent example: 'TWENTY YEARS OF FAILURE THANKS TO YOU DIRTY MERCENARIES!'
The person who nobbled Zannetti has been arrested, and charged with ABH and throwing a fire-cracker, while every day more of the airport idiots are captured by the police.
There is no peace in private though, due to the civil war in the dressing-room, where the Argies are all very brassed off with Adriano, who appears to have gone into sleep mode before the World Cup begins. The most vocal member of the anti-Adriano camp is - take a guess - Mr. Happy himself, JS Veron. In fact, the man who left Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge unimpressed has been a grumpy twit all season, rowing with Totti and Kaka as well as the aforementioned Adriano and Sorin. Quite what has happened to transform him into such a cantankerous git is anyone’s guess, but he is not a cheerful man these days.
All of the leaks and whispers from the changing-room have enraged club president Giacinto Facchetti, who has promised to find the mole who keeps letting these secrets out into the open. Manager Roberto Mancini is equally fed up, and shocked the media by announcing to a press conference that he is thinking of leaving Serie A.
"I have the desire to go abroad," said the floppy-haired tactician. He also complained, "Football in Italy is no longer fun." There are some suggestions that he sees himself working in England in the very near future, maybe as a number two to his great friend Sven-Goran Eriksson at Manchester United or Newcastle next year. If this is the case he should think carefully. In the Premiership he won’t have to worry about fans attacking him, but the drinking habits and first touch of the average Premiership player may scare him more than any thug brandishing stones, fireworks and nasty words.
But at least he can relax for a few days, until Friday, when it will be the Milan derby, and all hell will break loose again. Life at Inter is not fun, but at least it isn’t dull either.
Sheridan Bird
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