Inter Milan vs Juventus
Saturday November 22,
2008, 3:30am -
(Sunday)
Watch it here
!
http://livefooty.doctor-serv.com/
Inter and Juventus, Nerazzurri and Bianconeri, Beneamata
and Old Lady. These two titans are the history of
Italian Calcio and their battles traditionally transcend the
football sphere to overshadow the importance of the local Derbies
with Milan and Torino respectively.
It's called the Derby d'Italia, a pompous expression that has
lost all of its original meaning, though: Italian legendary
journalist Gianni Brera coined it back in 1967 to refer to the
clashes between two of the most prestigious outfits in the Boot,
both in terms of trophies and appearances in the top flight.
But Inter have been overtaken by Milan in the Scudetto's 'Albo
d'Oro' (Hall of Fame) since and the Old Lady no longer have a
'clean slate' as they were relegated to Serie B in 2006 due
to their participation in Calciopoli.
And the infamous summer saga which shook the foundations of
Italian football, just as Marcello Lippi's Azzurri lifted the World
Cup in Berlin, has further contributed to damaging the relationship
between the Fidanzate d'Italia (the Italian Girlfriends).
The frictions have deep roots and stretch back almost half a
century: it was the 1960-61 Serie A season, a tight affair between
Juve, Inter and Milan. The Girlfriends came head-to-head in a
crucial tie in Turin on April 16, but the match was abandoned after
a group of supporters entered the pitch.
The Biscione were initially awarded a 2-0 victory by the FIGC
Disciplinary Commission, but the decision was incredibly reversed
the day before the last round of fixtures.
The ruling meant that the match would be replayed, hence the
Bianconeri went into the last game of the season with a two-point
lead they managed to retain thanks to a home draw with Bari,
whereas the Nerazzurri were incredibly stunned at Catania's Stadio
Cibali, losing 2-0 to the Etnei.
"Clamoroso (unbelievable) al Cibali," shouted radio reporter
Sandro Ciotti with his unique raucous tone: Juve bagged their 12th
Italian title, but Inter President Angelo Moratti, the father of
current patron Massimo, was livid at the Italian Football
Federation, as he felt that their decision was influenced by their
supremo Umberto Agnelli, who just happened to be also at the helm
of the Turin side.
Therefore, he ordered his tactician Helenio Herrera to field the
Primavera team when the uninfluential tie with the already crowned
Italian champions was replayed on June 10, 1961.
Juve duly trounced the Inter youth team 9-1 and it is peacefully
accepted that the heated rivalry started that day: controversies
have repeatedly shrouded the meetings between the duo since then
and the point of no return was reached on April 26, 1998.
Luigi Simoni's men visited the Delle Alpi with a single point
separating the contenders in the standings, but Juventus, lead by
Lippi, claimed the spoils courtesy of an Alessandro Del Piero's
effort, effectively ending the Interisti's chase.
But the encounter is unanimously considered as the ultimate
proof of Luciano Moggi's boundless authority in Italian football:
the Torinesi were widely accused of benefiting from 'refereeing
favours' throughout the 1997-98 season, but Piero Ceccarini's
choice to not award a spot-kick for a blatant body-check on Ronaldo
by defender Mark Iuliano in the penalty area was the last straw in
the eyes of the Nerazzurri.
Once again Juve pipped them to the Scudetto, but one of many
that the Interisti deemed 'tainted'.
The rest is recent history, it's Calciopoli/Moggiopoli, it's
accusations and counter-accusations, it's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and
Patrick Vieira jumping ship and switching allegiances, it's two
stripped Campionati and the humiliation of Serie B versus three
consecutive triumphs. Just waiting for the next chapter...
