fount : goal.com
The 2009 Champions League final at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico will be a big test for the Italian FA (FIGC) in more ways than one. As well as having a chance to run a superb event, it will also be a method of showing the football world that the sport in their country is not the shoddy, disorganized spectacle that many see it as.
Indeed, lows have outnumbered highs of late. The past few seasons have seen fans in the peninsula celebrate their first World Cup since 1982, but such achievements only slightly dampened the credibility lost during the calciopoli match-fixing scandal, and of course the tragic stories of the fans and police that have been killed on match days.
The death of police inspector Filippo Raciti in 2007 shook the country, prompting no small measure of introspection. Stadia were crumbling edifices from the 1960s and only the Stadio Olimpico’s in Rome and Turin met the highest UEFA standards, which would allow them to host UEFA finals.
Even the great citadel in Milan, San Siro, host of the 2001 Champions League final, was off the list: along with Genoa’s Luigi Ferraris, Napoli’s San Paolo and Fiorentina’s Artemio Franchi it was denounced for lacking such basic amenities as electronic turnstile, designated seats or anywhere near the necessary number of crowd stewards.
Then later, in 2007, there was a further blow to the country’s self-esteem when UEFA made Poland-Ukraine hosts for Euro 2012 despite the Italians having been long-term favourites.
Nonetheless, the Champions League final serves as something of a consolation prize. Italian teams have already starting looking ahead to the final, with Roma hoping to make up for their loss to Liverpool there in 1984, whilst Juventus will hope to repeat their penalty heroics from 1996.
Whether they get there or not there will be plenty of room for fans with a capacity of 72,000 and each team receiving 16% of the tickets available.
The only problem is the huge running track around the field, which impedes viewing. With the stadium built for the 1960 Olympic Games, it lacks the ability to rearrange its confines depending on the sport, in a way that the modern Stadium Australia and Stade de France can.
Italy’s footballing ego is visibly shaken at the moment, with their limp exit from Euro 2008 adding to their woes. Meanwhile they have looked on in envy as Spain’s La Liga and England’s Premier League has eroded Serie A’s strength since the turn of the millennium. As such their hosting of the 2009 Champions League is being treated very seriously and seen as the olive branch that regains them some footballing respect.
Should an Italian team reach the final, that pride will go through the roof. But the FIGC will need to learn from the lessons of the past and not act like everything is A-OK if they are to use the match as a stepping stone to a future World Cup or European Championships bid, which is ultimately what they are after.
Jeremy John Inson
The 2009 Champions League final at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico will be a big test for the Italian FA (FIGC) in more ways than one. As well as having a chance to run a superb event, it will also be a method of showing the football world that the sport in their country is not the shoddy, disorganized spectacle that many see it as.
Indeed, lows have outnumbered highs of late. The past few seasons have seen fans in the peninsula celebrate their first World Cup since 1982, but such achievements only slightly dampened the credibility lost during the calciopoli match-fixing scandal, and of course the tragic stories of the fans and police that have been killed on match days.
The death of police inspector Filippo Raciti in 2007 shook the country, prompting no small measure of introspection. Stadia were crumbling edifices from the 1960s and only the Stadio Olimpico’s in Rome and Turin met the highest UEFA standards, which would allow them to host UEFA finals.
Even the great citadel in Milan, San Siro, host of the 2001 Champions League final, was off the list: along with Genoa’s Luigi Ferraris, Napoli’s San Paolo and Fiorentina’s Artemio Franchi it was denounced for lacking such basic amenities as electronic turnstile, designated seats or anywhere near the necessary number of crowd stewards.
Then later, in 2007, there was a further blow to the country’s self-esteem when UEFA made Poland-Ukraine hosts for Euro 2012 despite the Italians having been long-term favourites.
Nonetheless, the Champions League final serves as something of a consolation prize. Italian teams have already starting looking ahead to the final, with Roma hoping to make up for their loss to Liverpool there in 1984, whilst Juventus will hope to repeat their penalty heroics from 1996.
Whether they get there or not there will be plenty of room for fans with a capacity of 72,000 and each team receiving 16% of the tickets available.
The only problem is the huge running track around the field, which impedes viewing. With the stadium built for the 1960 Olympic Games, it lacks the ability to rearrange its confines depending on the sport, in a way that the modern Stadium Australia and Stade de France can.
Italy’s footballing ego is visibly shaken at the moment, with their limp exit from Euro 2008 adding to their woes. Meanwhile they have looked on in envy as Spain’s La Liga and England’s Premier League has eroded Serie A’s strength since the turn of the millennium. As such their hosting of the 2009 Champions League is being treated very seriously and seen as the olive branch that regains them some footballing respect.
Should an Italian team reach the final, that pride will go through the roof. But the FIGC will need to learn from the lessons of the past and not act like everything is A-OK if they are to use the match as a stepping stone to a future World Cup or European Championships bid, which is ultimately what they are after.
Jeremy John Inson
Inter 2(5)p - (4)2 Roma 
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