FOOTY FAIR

Any Given Sunday: Secret Society of Italian Football

2014-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Most of us have experienced or know someone who suffers from baldness, but it looks like one group of people have not only found the solution to this problem they have been able to reverse the effects of aging and losing their hair, former Italian footballers.

This could be the biggest revolution in the game of football since the addition of the goal line technology. Many players around the world have suffered the effects of male baldness, from as recently as Rooney to as far back Gazza, players have struggle to keep their wonderful hair going into the later stages of their career and into retirement. One group has clearly found the solution to this problem and they are no other than former Italian footballers.

They have been able to keep this new discovery quiet and amongst themselves, and not even all former Italian footballers have been privy to this information. I am sure Baresi would love to be given some idea of what he needs to do to follow the footsteps of some of his former teammates at the Italian national team.

Former players like Salvatore Schillaci, a hero for Italy at the 1990 World Cup or the even more famous former Juventus coach and currently Italy’s coach, Conte. These two men are only the tip of this iceberg; since they have a higher profile than some others their new spontaneous growth of hair has somehow gone unnoticed by mainstream media, but not by me. It is a scientific or perhaps a genetic conundrum how some of these players and more specific these two have been able to get better hair as they have got older while most of us see this process happening in reverse.

Could it be the food? Perhaps pasta, pizza or tomato sauces have a special ingredient that provides them with a rebirth of hair at a later stage in their life. Can’t be, otherwise all others would be following suit, and the fact is that this genetic improvement hasn’t been available to all and only a selected few. Could this be the start of a new secret Italian order that could have links as far back as the Templars? Perhaps in some of their travels a group of Italian international players discovered a rare relic that allows them to grow hair as they get older instead of losing it?

It is my believe that Conte is at the head of this secret organization, and that has allowed him to not only win domestic titles after domestic titles but also land the national team job. His hair as far as I have been able to gather has not improved his coaching skills but it has added to his incredible sex appeal and overall metrosexual look. It seems to me that whatever they have discovered is somehow linked to Paolo Maldini. It is very strange and mind boggling that the new hair is completely different in style and texture from their previous hair and it comes more in line with Maldini’s hair. Have they found a way to clone Maldini’s hair? This could be a huge leap in scientific knowledge.

For now the exact process or explanation has been kept out of reach of the public and other footballers, and they have been able to keep mainstream media in the dark, which shows how strong and powerful these man are. A new world order is upon us, and it will be one with incredible gorgeous and wavy hair.

Juventus Best Starting XI

2014-11-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

Juventus is one of the most historic Italian teams of all time.

If you don’t believe me ask any Juventus fan and they will be sure to agree with that statement. I always wanted to see who would the best starting XI of the last 20 years, so I survey the biggest Juventus fan I know and after much deliberation this is his list that we came up with.

GK - Gianluigi Buffon

The World's Most Expensive Goalkeeper, Buffon moved from Parma to Juventus in 2001 for 45 Million Euro, a record that stands today. Since then, Buffon has only gone on to become the best keeper of this generation. BUffon has an impressive trophy cabinet that includes 5 Serie A Championships, Domestic Cups, and several individual honours. Currently the Captain of Club and Country, "Gigi" is now 36 and closing in on 400 appearances for Juve, but sill puts in performances worthy of his nickname "Superman".

RB - Stephan Lichtsteiner

Arriving from Lazio in 2011, Lichtsteiner is an integral part of Juve's current dominance of Serie A. Blessed with good pace and incredible energy, he has earned the name "Forrest Gump". Whipping in a great cross or scoring the occasional goal, Lichtsteiner provides many assets in attack and defense. Closing in on 100 appearances.

CB - Ciro Ferrara

A rock at central defense for 10 years with the great Juve teams of the late 90's and early in the new Millenium, forming great partnerships at Centre Back over the years with the likes of Lilian Thuram, Igor Tudor, and Fabio Cannavaro. Ferrara won the Champions League in 1996 and Serie A titles in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2005. He also went on to have a coaching stint with Juventus in 2010, though it did not go as well as his time as a player.

CB - Giorgio Chiellini

A throwback to the hard-nosed defensive style of days past, Chiellini is never one to shy away from a challenge. "King Kong" has anchored the Juve backline since their return from Serie B and the "Calciopoli" scandal of 2006, helping to bring back Juve's trademark tough defense. Among other team honours, he was a huge part of the "Invincibles" team from the 2011/2012 season, including a defense which only conceded 20 goals, lowest ever in Serie A's 38 game schedule. He can also score too, finding the net 31 times in all competitions since first featuring for Juve in 2005.

LB - Gianluca Zambrotta

Arriving from Bari in 1999, Zambrotta was later converted to a Left Back by then-coach Marcello Lippi, and went on to play both the Right and Left for the great Juve sides of the early 2000's. In 7 seasons with the Old Lady, Zambrotta won 2 Scudettos and 2 Italian Super Cups.

RM - Mauro Camoranesi

A player who was perhaps never truly appreciated in the Penninsula due to his status as an "Oriundo", a member of the National Team born outside of Italy, Camoranesi nevertheless had some great years at Juventus. Skillful on the ball, Camoranesi always relished the opportunity to dribble past a defender, and also scored 27 goals through 8 seasons. Part of 3 Scudetto winning teams (2 revoked from Calciopoli).

CM - Andrea Pirlo

"The Architect" has undergone a career renaissance since joining the Bianconeri in 2011, and has pulled the strings in the offence. A sublime passer of the ball, Pirlo has vision like no other currently playing. He is also deadly from set pieces, scoring 12 times in only 3 seasons, with mostly all coming from free kicks. Winner of 3 Serie A titles from 2012 through 2014. Class personified.

CM - Edgar Davids

The perfect foil to Pirlo's class on this best XI, Davids provided non stop energy and toughness to Juventus from 1997 to 2004. Easily identified by his long dreadlocks and protective goggles needed for glaucoma, he was described by Marcello Lippi as "My one-man engine room" and nicknamed "The Pitbull" for his marking ability. Davids won Serie A titles in 1998, 2002, and 2003.

LM - Pavel Nedved

Nedved came to Juve from Lazio in 2001, with the responsibility of filling the vacancy left by Zinedine Zidane. Nedved went on to become a club legend with Juventus, winning the 2003 Ballon d'Or as a member of the team, and leading them to an inspirational run to the Champions League final. Nedved is most remembered by Juve supporters for his incredible performance that year in the Semi-Finals versus Real Madrid. Though a red card in the second leg of that tie meant that he would miss the Final, which Juve lost. A tireless worker, Nedved won Serie A in 2002 and 2003. Nedved is still with the club as a member of Juventus' Board of Directors.

ST - David Trezeguet

Trezeguet arrived at Juve in 2000 having just given France the Euro title over Italy. However, "Treze-gol", as he was known to the Juve faithful, quickly repaid them. He scored 24 goals in his second season with Juve, winning Serie A Top Scorer, and 138 goals in 245 Serie A games. Trezeguet collected Serie A titles in 2002 and 2003, and will be forever in the hearts of supporters for sticking with the team through their demotion to Serie B, along with the likes of club legends Buffon & Nedved.

ST - Alessandro Del Piero

Wore the Number 10 shirt like a second-skin, Del Piero arrived in 1993 from Padova as a 17 year old, and went on to spend 20 years with Juventus. Dubbed by former Club President Gianni Agnelli as "Il Pinturicchio", a reference to the Renaissance artist, and as at the time, Del Piero was "understudy" to the legendary Roby Baggio. Of course, Del Piero became a legend in his own right, scoring 290 times in an incredible 705 games across all competitions. Many of those came from his trademark "Gol alla Del Piero"; by cutting in from the left side at the top of the box, and curling the ball into the far corner. Del Piero won a Champions League in 1996 and Serie A titles in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2003. He closed his Juve career by Captaining the "Invincibles" side of 2012 to one last Scudetto. Del Piero left Juventus as their all time leader in goals with 290 (186 in open play, 62 penalties, 42 free kicks), and minutes played with 48,363. When it comes to modern-era, Del Piero quite simply IS Juventus.

Tavecchio Wants Less Foreigners Playing in Serie A

2014-09-10T06:54:00.001-04:00

Last week the Russian government announced that they are working on reducing the number of foreigners in their domestic league to six per club, today Carlo Tavecchio, president of the FIGC has revealed that he has requested the help of the Italian government to introduce legislation that will allow him to have the number of foreigners playing in Italian clubs reduced.

“The requisite of having at least four Italians playing on the field is hard to implement. The 28 countries that make the European Community allow the free circulation of workers, but we can force clubs to use players that come from their academy systems in a way to promote the use of Italian players. As far as players coming from outside of Europe, we will analyze the work visas, similar to what is done in England. We will ask the Governments assistance, so a legal tool can be created, that players applying for a work visa can meet certain requirements in order to be able to play in Italy”, commented Tavecchio to journalists.

This seems to be an idea that is gaining traction within Europe and even outside of Europe. The issue of too many foreigners playing for domestic clubs seems to be an issue that is impacting the development of local players and hurting the national team programs. Countries like Italy, Russia and even smaller countries like Portugal have seen a huge influx of foreign players coming into the leagues and take away space from domestic talent.

It is very difficult for a national team program to survive and produce at the highest level if there isn’t any talent to pull from. Players coming up from the academy systems need to know that when they reach a certain point in their development that there will be an outlet for them to move into. In many cases talented players are seeing their options reduced and their possibility to continue a professional career at a high level threaten by lack of first team opportunities.

Controlling the amount of foreigners may be difficult, more so for countries that are part of the European Community, due to laws that allow works to migrate from country to country without being considered a foreigner as long as their country of birth is an EU country as well. The solution to this problem may be the enforcement of domestic quotas. Forcing teams to field not only players developed within their own club but also players developed in that specific country. The rules will have to be very specific, since we see clubs signing foreign youth players to their academies which also prevents local kids an opportunity to compete and grow in their sport.

That is an area that should also be looked at, and the creation of rules and regulations that prevent clubs for having too many foreign players in their academy systems is perhaps a good starting point. The issue is only seen at the surface, but the problem runs much deeper. To find a good solution to the problem that allows teams to remain competitive while promoting local talent and ensuring the survival of the national team programs is the balance that needs to be reached.

Perhaps Italy by the hand of Tavecchio can start a process that other European countries can implement, and a process that I believe needs to be led by the federations, since the clubs will only be looking at staying competitive and profitable. Italy could become a trailblazer in this campaign, one that I believe is fundamental to the continued growth of domestic players in a world dominated by globalization.

Tavecchio

2014 World Cup Muse: Italy - Claudia Romani (Gallery)

2014-07-12T21:30:00.000-04:00

Claudia Romani is a big supporter of the Italian national team, regardless of the fact that they didn't qualify for the round of 16. She is a contestant in the 2014 World Cup Muse.