The sadness of Italy

The Italians went Monday night to sleep with the bitter tears of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Italy failed to qualify for the final round of the world cup in Russia, and that is all from 1958 ago. “What now? We don’t know. Have we as a people have never experienced’, responds sports journalist Fulvio Paglialunga.

‘FINE’, headlined the voetbalkrant Gazzetta dello Sport theatrical, followed by the comment: ‘For the first time since sixty years, a soccer world Cup without Italy.” …

‘FINE’, headlined the voetbalkrant Gazzetta dello Sport theatrical, followed by the comment: ‘For the first time since sixty years, a soccer world Cup without Italy.” It had a spectacular ” home in the stadio San Siro, the beautiful pink football temple in Milan, where four-time world champion Italy again recorded against Sweden and a 1-0-victory of the Scandinavians had to make amends in order for Russia to qualify. But it did not happen. The match ended in a tie without goals, and not the Italians but the Swedes leave next summer to Russia.

Gianluigi Buffon, the legendary goalkeeper of the Azzurri, see the dream in his sixth world Cup to play in shambles beaten. Buffon is already 39 years old, his international career is probably on. As always in football is coach Gian Piero Ventura scapegoat. The Italian coach wanted Monday night have not yet lost, or he now leaves as a ‘commissario tecnico’ of Italy, also calls on the Italian people now collectively to his departure.

On the social media reacted many Italians dismayed, frustrated and downright angry, all showed some more humor and sense of perspective. ‘SPOILER. If you get the ball high plays against a team of guys two meters, then tackle the ball from you’, tweette a tifoso. And another supporter will find that in the Italian professional football, just as in Italian politics, too many old hands are stuck to their seat, and sees it as the statement that the Azzurri have not qualified.

Religion of the state

Soccer is a religion of the state in Italy. An Italian asks you first to your name and then your favorite football team. Club football is actually many times more important for an Italian(se) than the defeats of his or her national team. That has a historical reason: Italy is a conglomerate of very different regions, cities and municipalities with a very strong identity. Especially in the calcio plays that rivalries have a big role. “Usually, the performance of the club in the first place. Also, when the Azzurri are on the field, supportert everyone actually for the player from his club, ” says the Italian voetbaljournalist Fulvio Paglialunga, on the phone from a mourning Italy. “But if the national team wins, then supportert suddenly everyone for LaSquadra Azzurra. A defeat is just as easy to put into perspective, because then it was not the private club and the mist went.’

But not at all to the world Cup may leave, it is still quite a bit different than, say, an early elimination in a world cup to have to process. ‘Not allowed in Italy since 1958, no longer happen, ” says Paglialunga. “We know as a people is not how to deal with this. Sixty years ago? The few who still remember. Every single Italian, maybe crazy about football or not, can be perfect from the head to the consecutive performance of the Azzurri at the four-yearly world cup’s list. The world Cup is a sporting, but also cultural and social event in Italy. We are eyes glued to the screen. Next year that event without us, and you can thunder on to say that in Italy than much less tv will be watched. Without us it is an event that begins minore, an event of less importance.’

Also large financial loss

The sadness of Italy’s great news, not only in the specialized national sport newspapers, but also in the mainstream Italian media. “Without the Azzurri won the world Cup in Russia arid look’, know Paolo Tomaselli of Corriere della Sera now. ‘The world cup will be the most expensive in history, but without the Azzurri the world Cup a lot poorer. In the field of history, but also in the financial sphere’, according to the Corriere.

The Italian sporteconoom Marco Bellinazzo have financial loss calculated. By failing to qualify for the most profitable world Cup of all time, it would be Italy in addition to a staggering amount of 100 million euro to grab, at least if you take the tv revenue, contracts and prize money bijeentelt. All part of an important side note: for that amount to generate, the Azzurri not only have to qualify, but the world cup also yet to win. But make note, the Italians and the day after even.