Italians are accustomed at creating works of arts in times of chaos. Lest we forget that the marvels and inventions of the Renaissance took place during extraordinary upheaval among the warring Italian city-states.
Call it a personality trait or character quirk. Whatever it is, Italians thrive under such conditions. I'm sure they would be at a loss to explain this curious fact of history themselves.
The Italian soccer scandal was supposed to destroy Italian soccer. Commentators and observers who have been calling for the demise of Italian soccer for years saw their moment to increase their charges. This was the moment of truth. How was Serie A possibly going to overcome such an unbecoming mess? With one of the world's greatest soccer clubs relegated to Serie B it was surely too much for Serie A to withstand, right?
Well, not exactly. True, attendance has dipped in Italy. The numbers are especially jarring next to England and Spain. Even Germany has now surpassed soccer-obsessed Italy. The next logical step was for the quality of play to drop.
This is where things become typically Italian. Machiavellian in its cunning sophistication and as artistic as a Michelangelo sculpture, Italian soccer is both admired and loathed by fans.
Anyone watching the domestic league will have noticed the quality of soccer in Serie A is simply outstanding. The games have been open and exciting. If things keep going at this pace, Serie A will have a higher goals per game ratio than the Premiership or La Liga for yet another year.
This may come as a surprise to many, but the 'opening up' of Italian soccer started way back in 1994. Old habits die hard and the old-fashioned defensive style mastered by Italy is slowly being abandoned, if not reduced. The revolution will continue as Roberto Donadoni recently stated after he took over for Marcello Lippi.
Article comments
1 - Healthy Man
Looks like the soccer scandal did not give any positive effect. In fact the case is now cosed as HULIQ reports in an article "Soccer Corruption Probe Is Closed in Italy".
2 - alessandro nicolo
Thanks for the article Healthy Man - if that in fact is your real name. ;<)
Anyway, I don't anyone believed that corruption would have beed stopped. It seems to me the problem is slightly deeper than making scapregoats of clubs. The cold, hard reaity is that England, Germany, France and so on (including FIFA with the crass Baltter?) - all experience various forms of sophisticated corruption. Things are a little more in the open in Italy. Regardless, the quality of soccer remains high. But as I point out, I am unsure what the longer term ramifications of this will be. From a North American perspective, at least Italian magistrates tried to send a message. It was a mighty bold move. Could you imagine any of this continent's pro leagues; NBA, NFL, CFL, MLB or NHL demoting a club of Juventus's stature or penalizing a team for possible corruption? The answer is no.