Reggiolo is a rural cheese farming town in the heartlands of Italy’s north. Famous not only for its parmesan cheese, but a certain eyebrow-raising, world-class footballer and manager: Carlo Ancelotti. Born the son of…
Tag: serie a
By the mid-1980s, the landscape of the United Kingdom had become synonymous with mass protests and bitterness. On the political front, the Conservative government fought continued battles on numerous fronts: Arthur Scargill and…
This feature is part of the Academy Way Inter Milan is an Italian institution. Although they may be faltering somewhat in the current Serie A landscape as Juventus and Napoli soar, they remain…
As featured on Guardian Sport ARRIGO SACCHI INSISTS that his comments were misinterpreted and not racist, but many remain unconvinced. “Italian football is now without dignity or pride because it has too many…
On 15 July 2014, A.C. Siena failed to register for the 2014-15 Serie B season and were declared bankrupt after 110 years of history. It was a poignant end for a provincial club…
BEFORE THE PAGEANTRY and red carpet of the FIFA Ballon d’Or much of the pre-award discussion centred around the verity of Manuel Neuer or any German winning the award. Germany won their fourth…
LIKE IT OR LOATHE IT, football and politics are intrinsically linked. If you look to every corner of the globe where football is played, politics always has a role. Be it right at…
UNLIKE THE LANGUAGES of the other major Italian islands, the Venetian dialect considers the word for the sea, mar, to be feminine. Each year, on Ascension Day, the Venetians marry the sea, symbolically…
Rome, the Eternal City, has hosted some of the game’s all-time greats – among them Conti, Falcão, Signori and Chinaglia. None, however, are greater than current captain and symbol, Francesco Totti. It…
AS THE PREVIOUS SEASON FADES INTO THE DISTANCE and we embark on a new one, memories of the previous 12 months will intensify. In recent times many of the year-end football high points…
Illustration by Charis Tsevis LONG BEFORE THE MODERN GAME became what it is today, an intrinsic, deep-rooted love for the lifeblood and essence of the sport was the fundamental name of the…
Diego Maradona’s relationship with Naples with unlike that of any footballer with a city before or since. Indeed the city will never forget its adopted hero
This feature is part of A Tale of One City Italian football is missing something. Throughout the storied lifetime of Serie A, there have been many of the greatest players to grace the…
It would make for some team: Samir Handanović would keep goal behind a defence consisting of Mauricio Isla, Mehdi Benatia, Cristián Zapata and Kwadwo Asamoah. Gökhan Inler, David Pizarro and Sulley Muntari would provide…
The Italy of 1921 is far removed from the Italy of the present day. The political system was in turmoil – many argue it still is – as extremes of both kinds battled…
CAUTION: FOR YEARS THAT WAS HOW CLUBS reacted upon their promotion to the Serie A. The big clubs, those with money and power, were simply too strong for them, so naturally they did…
FOOTBALL IS A FICKLE GAME. For every promising youngster that makes the grade, there are twenty who fail to make the grade. For these almost men, the chances of regaining a chance to make…
Barely an hour had passed before the inquest began. A brace from Luis Suárez had given Uruguay a vital 2-1 victory over England, all but confirming another underwhelming exit from an international tournament…