Violence around Catania stadium

This is a derby that had to be played on a Friday night, so it didn't disturb the Sant'Agata procession. The police had to supervise the area around the stadium, in the afternoon of a working day. Outside, the situation is abnormal, and there is something similar to civil war; everybody knows how fierce the rivalry between Catania and Palermo is. Twice, the game is suspended - the footballers cannot play because of the tear gas on the ground. A policeman - police chief inspector Filippo Raciti, 38 - dies because of a crude bomb that explodes inside his car, and there are more than 100 wounded people in the Emergeny Room of Garibaldi hospital.

Well... this is not football; this is urban guerrilla warfare, the natural result of years of poor lawmaking against violence. They have been a complete failure: all the measures taken have just kept peaceful people away from the stadiums, and ended up concentrating the hooligans and people that consider football to be an excuse to give vent to their animal brutality. This afternoon, something happened at the beginning of second half when the Palermo "Ultras" arrived at the stadium, and there was a delay due to the large amount of security checks. And at the end of the game there was, as we said, the civil war. Maybe this was also due to Palermo winning with a controversial goal.

Immediately, Commissioner Pancalli decided to suspend the championships. Next Monday there will be a meeting between FIGC and the Government, but let us be a little bit skeptical; this is not the first time that someone has died because of a football match. It's sad, but it's also sad listening to the politicians saying that things like this cannot happen anymore (until next time, we say), and the football executives that suspend the championship (when we don't know how extensive this suspension could be). Of course, to stop for a day as a sign of respect for a policeman who died is correct, but they want football to be stopped until they find an ABSOLUTE solution. They want to reflect, and maybe stop all the championhips for the whole year. And then? When their false indignation has finished, nobody will think about this anymore. Especially the people that now are crying, who yesterday were arguing and shouting at the TV for a penalty or an off-side.

Unfortunately, nobody in Italy thinks about the football fan - the customer, paying a lot of money to watch the game. Are the violent people a minority? Yes, but don't worry, they do their best to make it impossibile for pacific people to go to the stadiums. Nominal tickets, prohibition to sell tickets at the stadium the day of the match, personal inspections to everybody going into the stadium. And all the while the violent never go to jail, and just keep on fighting the police all around.

As fans, we think that things cannot really change unless they focus on heavy punishments to the perpetrators of violence. For too long a time, the stadiums have been a free zone, where the laws do not apply, and they continue to be. Violence in football could be solved with cameras that identify the guilty parties, and with more stewards, and less policemen if possible (on several occassions, violence erupts because of clashesh between the police and hooligans). But we bet that the executives will think long and hard, and still do nothing effective. In the end, maybe they will decide that it will be possible to watch football only on TV; on the channels they own, of course.

Ronaldo and Adriano Galliani at today's press conference

Here you have the second part of Ronie’s press conference (today at noon, CET). The Brazilian talked about many issues, and Galliani at the end said Capello suggested him to sing Ronaldo! “But he told me also some other things, not too fair, about him”, stated AC Milan CEO.
Let’s continue with the question time.

J: Did you hear Carlos Dunga recently?
R: No, I didn’t. But there’s no need to talk each other, what I will able to do on the playground will be the most important thing.

J: Do you know your partner Gilardino, and whe you think you’ll be ready to play?
R: I know him very well. It depends on the athletic trainer and on the coach, I haven’t played for one month, but test results are good.

J: Which are your objectives and AC Milan ones?
R: Unfortunately cannot play Champions League, I think our main objective is to be one of the top four in Serie A

J: Is “Copa America” one of your goals?
R: No, I mean, first goal is to do right here at Milan, then Dunga will call people that do right.

J: Was it more difficult to leave Milan five years ago, or Madrid now?
R: Well, it’s quite the same. Oh, my son will stay in Madrid, and even though we’ll meet when I have some free time, for this reason it’s harder now.

J: What did you miss of Italy? What do you think about Juventus in Serie B?
R: I missed a lot my friends. Don’t feel anything about Juventus (he laughs), I’m interested in AC Milan only.

J: Do you think there will be technical problems?
R: No, I felt in the club a very good mood as I hadn’t seen for many time, then I’ll try to do what Ancelotti asks me, in order to help AC Milan to hit its mark.

J: What happened between Fabio Capello and you?
R: It seems like a joke, but there were no problems between me and Capello. He just didn’t put faith in me, without explaining me why. And I didn’t ask him why. It’s a sad story.

J: Ten years after your first arrival in Milan, what changes in your person?
R: Well, I have been back for a couple of days, give me some more time, but I’m still the same Ronaldo and I have same enthusiasm.

J: A lot of things have been said about your weight.
R: I did all the tests, fat percentage in my body is in the average, the weight means nothing in a sportsman, fat percentage is more important.

J: Are there analogies with Rivaldo in 2002? Are you afraid to be unsuccessful as he was?
R: Past is past, I am sure I’ll go right, and Rivaldo himself was not so unsuccessful, that year Milan won Champions League.

J: Did Cassano express his will to follow you at AC Milan? Or maybe he’ll join Inter next June?
R: Cassano knows what to do, he is a good guy and a great player.

J: Did you choose AC Milan because of the presence of other Brazilian players?
R: AC Milan is one of the best clubs in the World, ant this is the only reason for my choice. Well, the fact that many other Brazilians are here makes me happy but I can see that nationality is not a critical point and everybody works to reach same goals (maybe he refers to the controversies between Argentineans and Brazilians at Inter)

J: After Milan-Parma, Mr. Berlusconi said he’s working to sign Ronaldinho, are you dreaming of a trio Kakà, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho?
R:I am a newcomer, it would be a lack of respect to my team mates, if I invited other players to join AC Milan. Of course, it would be great to have Ronaldinho

J: Are you ready to play next Sunday, if they ask you?
R: Let’s wait and see, I’m available but at the moment I had no training yet, here at Milan.

(end, part 1 here)

Challenge is the key word of first Ronaldo's press conference. The Brazilian said this word for many and many times during his first press conference today, noon CET, at Hotel Executive in Milan. More than 100 journalists, alongside of Ronaldo AC Milan CEO, Adriano Galliani. The manager starts the conference with a short statement: “Everybody knows who is Ronaldo, and this transfer has just technical reasons, in spite of the media impact of the player. We wanted him already in August, on day 24th we understood that there were no requirements, but we said goodbye, it wasn’t a farewell”

Then, the question time starts, here below some questions and answers.

J: The Arabs had a big mass of money for you, why did you choose Milan?
R: This is my life’s most important challenge, a sport challenge for which I refused a lot of money. I had offers from Saudi Arabia and from the US, I could stay in Madrid but I want to show againt to the whole world that I’m not over, I have a great enthusiasm.

J: Any doubt in choosing AC Milan, after your 5 years at Inter?
R: No doubts, I have had a beautiful history at Inter but now there’s a new challenge to face (again, we say) and I’m very happy, I have accepted immediately. There’s been some troubles in the negotiation, but since first Milan approach I decided to accept their offer.

J: You will see many changes here, what do you expect outside the ground, especially Inter fans?
R: Surely I’d like that people that were with me and now are on the other side of the barricades demonstrate respect for me. My history at Inter, again, was so beautiful, but it’s gone awry, I’ve been sent away, almost obliged by the coach (Cuper). I’m in Milan once again and I am very happy.

J: Did you think of Moratti and what he should have said?
R: No, everybody chooses his own road, I hope to do right for all these people that welcomed me in a very good way. I wish Moratti good luck, but I stay on my road.

J: A couple of weeks ago, Arrigo Sacchi in an interview said very bad words about you: “Ronaldo is a player that hates rules and don’t train as he should.
R: I have respect for rules, always trained and done what they told me to do. I don’t understand his statements but everybody is free to say what he wants. I have won a lot, nobody never gave me anything, I made it with a lot of sacrifices

J: A lot has been said and written, about the fact that you’re not like before and you don’t have enthusiasm
R: I have already said this, just being here is a big thrust, I refused many opportunities, but I want to show I’m still here, don’t matter about money

J: Materazzi invited Inter fans to go light with you
R: I’m not interested in what they think on the other side

J: Did you speak to Berlusconi? And what is your personal idea about Milan?
R: I talked to him, he gave me his warm welcome, I’m happy about this. Well, the game vs. Roma went wrong, but I’m sure things are getting better

Inter 0, Sampdoria 0. The news is that, after a long time, Inter tonight did not win. Last draw was in Munich (Bayern-Inter, Champions League 1-1 on December 5th) . The bad news -for its opponents- is that this was a second leg of Coppa Italia semi-final, and in the first leg Inter won 3-0 in Genoa. So, for the third year the team lead by Roberto Mancini will face AS Roma that yesterday won against Milan 3-1. In the last two years Inter took the cup away, and in case of another win, it would be a record.

Tonight Inter could enter the scene with its second team, only Burdisso that usually is in “Inter 1” played tonight but just because he cannot play for the main match of the season, the third Inter-Roma of five: he is disqualified. Even 17 y.o. midfielder Francesco Bolzoni could play his first game with black and blue jersey, and also other Under 20 players like Bonucci, Maaroufi and Fautario were part of the match. There’s not so much to say about the game, except the good return of Alvaro Recoba in the final part.

At the end, we just heard Luis Figo talk again of his transfer to Saudi Arabian Al Ittihad, with a little bit of polemic statement against Mancini (“I stay here until the end of the season because Moratti asked me, I didn’t talk to the coach). Oh, we just thought that Figo leaves Inter to earn a mass of money! Mancini as well was asked about his contract, and of course he took a couple of minutes to him to say…nothing about it. At the end we think he’ll stay at Inter.

So, Inter-Roma is National cup final, but it’s also next Sunday’s match. San Siro will be full of people, last time was for the Supercup and Inter won 4-3 after being 0-3 in first half. And just Figo scored the decisive goal, that time. It’s even pointless to say that Inter could write the words “The End” for this Serie A, but Roma yesterday showed they can make it. And what about Inter tonight? Well, none of the eleven footballers we’ll see on the ground next Sunday played tonight.

Let’s stay in Milan, but on the other side: on Friday there is Ronaldo’s introduction to journalists, in a general state of coldness. No AC Milan fans went to the training centre to say “welcome” to him, and also in San Siro his old fans of Inter ignored him and went light with him. Let’s see if he’ll give to his new fans emotions and delight them. At the moment he’s still injured and in bad shape. The Rossoneri are really unlucky: today we knew that Dida has a shoulder ligament injury, he’ll be back in the middle of March: Ancelotti is forced to utilize newcomer Marco Storari, former Messina goalie, without experience in big clubs and in main competitions. And he will have to play in Champions League…oh, what a bad season for AC Milan!

Last week we talked about the bookmaker SNAI that suspended bets on Inter win in Serie A. Well, today’s news is that they are already start paying all the betters four months before the end of the season. If we were superstitious, as we like Inter, we would buy a lot of charms. Anyway, in their shoes we would have waited 10.30 pm next Sunday, at the end of the match between the Nerazzurri and AS Roma (second in ranking, 11 points below), before paying.

At that time, if Roma doesn’t get the 3 points, can we really consider the Italian championship finished with 16 games still to play? Maybe yes, maybe not. Of course yes for bookmakers, if we consider that another one is just accept stakes only on the final gap between Inter and the second, probably Roma.

The Romans tried to put some pressure yesterday by beating Siena, while Inter had to face Sampdoria in the evening. It’s already so tough, to meet Inter this year. And Sampdoria did its best to make its life more complicated when Delvecchio tried to become the new Zidane, though this time his head butt hit Materazzi’s chin. Red card to him, yellow for Inter’s defender, and everything easier especially after Ibra’s header and Maincon goal after a counter attack.

Now, Inter –as we said- is eleven points clear at the top, but also Roma is now 7 points over Palermo. It looks like the most exciting story is the battle for fourth place the last that give Champions League qualifying stage. Now, Lazio and Catania have 30 points, Empoli and Udinese 29, Atalanta 28, Milan 27. Team that can go through are these, for less than a sensational second half by Fiorentina. Lazio –very good in Palermo even after Oddo went away- and Milan for its strength are the teams that can have more chances.

Milan would have even more chances, of course, with Ronaldo. The Brazilian is not available for Champions League, but could be helpful to reach next season’s qualifying round. But…is Ronaldo already an AC Milan player? Not at the moment. Galliani is in Madrid, but there’s still a mismatch in terms of player’s value and also of payment conditions. Tomorrow is the day. Anyhow, in place of Galliani we wouldn’t risk loosing Ronaldo for half a million euro, after that last summer Milan signed Oliveira for many millions more!

Some days ago we posted about Ronaldo and what his old fans were thinking about his arrival at AC Milan. Now –it’s an official news- Ronaldo is a Milan player, so we would like to know what Red and Black fans think. Best hypothesis is R9 will be unhelpful to Ancelotti, but some of them really have difficulty accepting the Brazilian Forward.

Bisax, a great fan of the Rossoneri and also a good writer, says: “Still think that there are very few people than can define themselves “Milan Fan” and at the same time exult for the arrival of the Madrid “Gordo”. For a lot of reasons. It comes to mind a “Rivaldo effect”, the Brazilian champion that came at the end of his career to hole up in Milan. Very good media deal, but insignificant on a football basis. And this is only one reason that brings Milan fan to refuse Ronaldo. It’s not for a comparison to Vieri, accepted (not welcome) to show Inter that we are able to “recycle” players they give up. No one deluded himself that Vieri could revive at Milan, no one marvelled when he left, no one misses him.
The main problem, I think, is following: Ronaldo IS Inter.
De facto Ronaldo was and still is, in any Milanist’s mind, an Inter player. In those years when he wore black and blue jersey he became every inch that club’s icon, its joys and sufferings. Ronaldo sobbing like a baby on May 5, 2002 IS Inter. This, a Milan fan cannot forget. And cannot forget Ronaldo is a traitor!
When he ran away during the night, looking for glory (he didn’y find) at Galacticos, he betrayed not only his fans, but also his opponents that hated him as we hate all dangers, but at the same time respected him. With that escape (different than Sheva’s one) Ronaldo lost all that respect.
That’s why I was so happy when I read the negotiation failed. That’s why I’ll have difficulty accepting him.”

Daw is a blogstar of the website “Il Cannocchiale” (more than one million visits) and he likes the idea of Ronaldo at Milan just in spite of Inter fans.
“Let’s talk turkey -he says- we have only one goal this season: the Champions League win. Red and black executives have just bought Ronaldo that won’t play in Champions League. What to do with him? His purchase has to be inserted in an extra sport field, it’s a sort of spite to our cousins Inter fans. As Italian league, once “the best league in the world” is having a break –all main teams not interested to Serie A, winner already determined last September and “Serie A Ltd.” value fallen over – the only satisfaction we have is to see Ronaldo the Phenomenon with red and black jersey. I’d say to Milan executives: next year, please, let’s come back to do things seriously, don’t be pranksters anymore”

Butirrometro is one of the Milan Blog Club entertainers: “Ronaldo would have been a good purchase only for free. Sign a player for 6 million Euros for an 18 months contract is not a good deal. It would make sense only if the contract would be longer or the player younger. It’s 6 million Euros you see vanish in 18 months.”

To finish, blogger “Rossonero di Vergogna” (Red and Black with Shame) is the one in the Milan Blog Club that would like a change in management ad say “Milan to Milan people”.
He put in his blog 10 ironic reasons why it’s good to see Ronaldo at Milan:

1) He’s Brazilian (well some years ago Galliani didn’t like Brazilian then he changed his mind) just like Kaka, Dida, etc.
2) He’s an over 30 as everybody at Milan, even newcomers
3) He’s not very professional and likes discos more than football as Inzaghi, Brocchi, etc.
4) He has already won
5) It’s a purchase done for mass media like Rivaldo, Redondo, etc.
6) He’s free of charge (not true, but who cares if AC Milan goes out of business?)
7) He’ll score in the derby like Bobone Vieri
8) He is making Moratti gnaw (oh, I think he’s laughing, fall guys!)
9) Because with Milan Lab he’ll be in a better shape like Crespo (the we’ll give it back to cousins)
10) Because in Brazil he’s named Ronaldinho. Well, we’ve signed Ronladinho too!

PS: it's amazing that, on arrival at Milan Airport, Ronaldo found his old Inter fans, and no Milan supporters...

It’s a good Coppa Italia edition, as we have four top teams qualified for the semi-finals. This evening in Genoa, Sampdoria and Inter Milan played their first of three matches in a week (next Sunday for Serie A day 21, and Thursday February 1st the semi-final second leg), and the Blucerchiati play with their best team. On the contrary, Mancini prefers to give a day-off to Ibra, Adriano, Maicon, Materazzi, Maxwell, Cambiasso, Vieira.

The difference between the two teams is anyway big, just consider that if Ibra and Adriano are at home, this means that forward is Hernan Crespo. And the game goes quickly to the expected direction. After Sampdoria players claim a penalty kick for a deflection with the hand by Cordoba, at 10’ a free kick by Luis Figo goes towards the far goal post: Nicolas Burdisso is the quickest and his header is lethal for Samp’s goalie.

Sampdoria tries to react, but the only thing they can do are some far shots that cannot give problems to Toldo (JC has still a bad backache). Inter on the contrary tries to come close to Zotti’s goal, and it’s again a header by an Argentinean, this time Hernan Crespo, that gives a satisfaction to Mancini. And again Luis Figo is the assist man, with his left foot. Crespo jumps above Accardi: 24 minutes, 0-2.

At half time, coach Novellino replaces Bonazzoli with Zenoni. At 3’, Inter with Crespo is close to third goal, then Sampdoria has some good chances with Quagliarella and Flachi. But it’s again Inter that scores: Figo (and who else?) beats a right-wing corner and Burdisso’s header, this time Zotti gets a hand to it but cannot save. 56 minutes, 0-3.

Well, among all records that Inter is breaking this season, there’s a defender as top scorer in a competition: this is Nicolas Burdisso, four goals in this Coppa Italia. And it’s even normal, in a team that scores a lot of goals in dead ball situations. It’s just a pity that Figo is leaving Inter, after this match where he gave 3 assists to his team-mates. Sampdoria just want to avoid a worst result, we just note the entry of young defender Bastrini and, on Inter’s side, the come-back of Julio Cruz “el jardinero”, and the entry of Belgian midfielder Maaroufi and Greek striker Choutos.

Next Thursday in San Siro in Milan, Nerazzurri probably will gain their third consecutive Coppa Italia final, while Sampdoria will try to stop Inter’s ride on Sunday night, in a Serie A match. Tomorrow, at 9,15 PM (CET) always in San Siro, AC Milan and AS Roma will fight for the other semi-final, and the result of the match will be -we’re sure- more difficult to forecast than this evening’s one.

Tonight in Serie A, Catania beat Empoli 2-1. The encounter was originally scheduled to be played back on December 16, but bad weather in the Sicilian city forced the game to be postponed. Now Catania is fourth with 29 pts., just one more that Empoli itself.

Here is first goal pic, from www.inter.it:

What a strange country Italy is! Each time a scandal comes out, after a period of indignation, protagonists and guilty has pulpits from which they can explain (of course without cross-examination) there is a plot against them or, if damning evidence is found, that everybody is guilty as they are.

It happened in politics, when a batch of corruption were discovered in early 90’s: in first two years, we had people’s demonstrations against politicians and in favour of judges. Then, after months and months of press campaigns, and false pretences against most representative public prosecutor, Di Pietro, a lot of people think that no one is to blame, because everybody is guilty.

The same happens now in football. Calciopoli big-name Luciano Moggi, after some wiretaps of his phone conversation with referees’ chiefs that brought his club to relegation, was firstly pointed out as the devil. Then, just because he still has a lot of allies among journalists, he became columnist of a newspaper (Libero) and special guest in some sport programs (local and national TV stations, and recently on radio station "Kiss-Kiss").

He always has a microphone, through which he says “what happened to me is paltry”, or “Never stole anything, neither a candy”, or accuse other clubs without any evidence, for example “Inter is the true “Mafia” of Italian football".

Some days ago, polytechnic school “G.B. Vico” in Agropoli (Salerno), invited him for a conference on sport education, and then he was supposed to make the opening of a “Juventus Club Luciano Moggi” that some nostalgic fans dedicated to him. And who is the organizer of these meetings? Sergio Vessicchio, a local journalist but also creator of some libellous websites like “Odio Collina” (I hate Collina) and “Dossier Inter”.

Sometimes, luckily, someone turns against this Italian way of thinking. This news has immediately created a dispute, and some students wrote to the board of supervisors. “We think it’s a bad thing that the school principal –who has to educate students- could invite a person that is investigated for a sport fraud and for this reason is not the appropriate person to teach” say in a dispatch. Minister Fioroni decided to order a review to local school and this pandemonium –here is the “happy end”- pushed Moggi to regret the invitation.

It happens that a team wins 13 consecutive matches breaking all records, and leads a league with 11 points advantage, and this team is Inter Milan. It also happens that main Italian bookmaker, SNAI, decides to suspend bets on Inter due to its evident superiority. Matchpoint, another bookmaker, keeps Inter quote, but it has been lowered to 1,01, meaning that if I bet 100 Euros, I win just a one euro coin.

Inter numbers are impressive: 54 points in 20 matches, best attack and best defence. Though we think that such a result should be underlined and maybe celebrated, we understand that when you are too strong and kill the competition, a lot of people might hate you. Anyway, this doesn’t justify some “whispering campaign” against Inter, lead by journalists we like to define “Moggi’s widows”. You've got to know that sport journalists are one of the categories whose image have been destroyed by Calciopoli. Last summer we could listen to wiretaps with some of main sport journalists asking Moggi and Co. what they should have written or said. Well, they are still in their place, just a couple of them were suspended by the Association of journalists for a short period. And they still are good friend of Moggi.

Last Sunday Inter won at home vs. Fiorentina. The Viola scored after 5’ with Luca Toni, and that was the only shot on goal they did in the whole match. In five minutes (19’ to 24’), two goals by Stankovic and Adriano put Inter back in control. In the second half, Inter slowed down the rhythm of the game and scored with Ibrahimovic, whose goal has been disputed by the Florentines, who stated that the ball was not completely in goal. Viola coach Prandelli and sport director Corvino after the match said none of Inter goals, especially the last one, was valid. Immediately Moggi’s widows put some poison into Inter’s win, assuming what Prandelli and Corvino said, without considering that the referee denied a couple of penalties to Inter.

In general, media like Turin newspaper Tuttosport (who is leading this campaign) and TV program Controcampo, would like to show that always the leading team has favours, and the same happened to Juventus or AC Milan during last years. And they would like also to let us know that the doubts we had in the past about Calciopoli are the same they have now. "If everybody is guity, no one is guilty", is their slogan. The problem is that they forget –or pretend to- all the stuff that came out in May 2006. A player gets a yellow card and won’t play against Inter the following weeks as he will be disqualified? Inter is doing something wrong as Juventus did, they say. But in one case we know about phone calls between Moggi and the referees chiefs, where Moggi asked to give some players a yellow or red card, now it is different.

Let’s just put an eye on some statistics of current season until now, they are self-explanatory:

Inter: 51 yellow cards, 4 red cards, penalty kicks: 3 in favour, 4 against
AS Roma: 45 yc, 1 rc, penalty kicks: 5-5
AC Milan: 37 yc, 1 rc, penalty kicks: 3-2
Palermo: 51 yc, 4 rc, penalty kicks: 5-1
Fiorentina: 47 yc, 2 rc, penalty kicks: 1-0

And here you have Ibrahimovic's 3-1 goal

Second half of Serie A starts this weekend, and everybody is waiting for an Inter false step. This championship is a sort of dictatorship. This time is Fiorentina trying to trip the Nerazzurri at San Siro, and it would be a revenge of the match played in September when Inter won 3-2 with Cambiasso’s and Toni’s doubles and the goal of Ibrahimovic. Mutu and Ujfalusi are disqualified but Mancini is distrustful and says Toni can support by himself the attack of the Viola. Inter will have Adriano-Ibra as forwards, Crespo still a little bit out of form and will seat on the bench. Last time in San Siro, on September 2005 for day 5, Inter won 1-0. It could be Inter’s thirteenth consecutive win: here in Italy, 13 is a lucky number, not like in Anglo-Saxon countries.

Roma travels to Livorno and it won’t be easy: Spalletti has to think up a new midfield, as De Rossi, Pizarro and Cassetti won’t play. The Tuscanian coach is thinking of Chivu as midfielder, let’s see. Livorno away is a hard nut to crack, especially after what happened this week: the heavy defeat in Bergamo (1-5), the president who sacks coach Arrigoni and players’ riot that makes Spinelli change his mind (we already talked about this, here). It’s obvious today the Amaranto of Livorno will do all their best to prove Spinelli’s decision was wrong.

The Sunday night game is at Stadio Olimpico in Roma, where Lazio and Milan will play for a place in UCL qualifying rounds (ok, maybe it’s too early, but we think this could be the duel for forth place). Here main issue is the decision taken by Lazio technical staff not to put Massimo Oddo in the players’ list for the match. The reason is: AC Milan probably will sign him already in January, so Lazio coach Rossi doesn’t want him to play against his next club. It’s absurd because it sounds like questioning his professionalism, especially foe the captain, meaning that he is respected by the club more than any other player. “Oddo won’t play because he asked to go away, not because is dealing with Milan” Delio Rossi says. Should we believe? He already asked to go away, even before other matches, but he always played.

Here you have the complete list of today’s matches (3PM CET), in brackets the first round result:
Inter-Fiorentina (3-2), Livorno-Roma (0-2), Catania-Cagliari (1-0), Siena-Chievo (2-1), Udinese-Messina (0-1), Empoli-Sampdoria (2-1), Parma-Torino (1-1). This evening (8.30PM CET) Lazio-Milan (1-2). On Saturday, Atalanta won away at Ascoli (3-1), draw without goals between Reggina and Palermo.