Italy

Hassan Chamas

Tuesday February 24th was a unique rendezvous in Champions League records: Virtually 80,000 fans – of whom the crushing preponderance was Italian – overflowed the stands of the San Siro to scrutinise the brawl between Internazionale and Manchester United, two of the prevalent favourites to prize away Europe’s blue ribbon competition. So in a bout that pitted Italy’s champions against the kings of England, how many Italians were present at kick-off? Just one.

Young Neazurri sensation Davide Santon – who enrolls in the ever budding record of potential Azzurri players – was the sole person with Italian blood that kicked a ball on that occasion. And even though Mario Balotelli was introduced in the second half, the Ghanaian-born striker is as much estranged with Italian blood as Brazil’s Ronaldo is with a proper diet.

This hub undoubtedly re-exposes the thorny affair of foreign players in any country, and in particular those plying their trade in Serie A. With the abundance of rules and regulations that are permitting the free flow of these “immigrants”, what is to become of Italy’s much talked about adolescents? Are they bound to navigate club after club each year before finally settling at a particular side, if not at all?

No less than 12 nationalities exist on the Inter books. While those pleading their allegiance to other European countries are exempted, others who have landed from South America and Africa do not particularly fit the bill. And even so, some of them like Argentinean trio of Walter Samuel, Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti all hold Italian citizenship.

Second passports are vastly growing into a commodity that all the big boys seem to be fancying: Just let them retrace a slim line of Italian heritage in your family tree and voila, you’re a resident. Of course, that’s all the better for your team, whom a cosmic number of them cannot linger and knit waiting for their teenage talents to grow into hometown heroes. In exchange however, that’s bad news for the Azzurri.

So the general pattern in the boot-shaped land is being set out like this: Step A: Naturalise all possible players. Step B: Send the younger Italian stock on loan spells and co-ownership deals until they are ripe and seemingly worthy of a squad position at their default club. Inter have done their bit in fortifying this assumption by dismissing no fewer than eleven Italian players away from the Guiseppe Meazza this campaign. Corridors away at the Milanello, AC Milan players such as Emerson, Kaka, and Ronaldinho hold German, Italian, and Spanish nationality respectively, and with the fact that these samba superstars are being regarded as Europeans, the Rossoneri did not lose any sleep over the idea of transferring youngsters, even on a permanent basis, such as the greatness-bound Alberto Paloschi.

The twofold citizenship idea draws its primacy from notions that are far more comprehensive than everyday football, and whose details lie in a realm much further than that of most people’s personal experience. But the universal idea is the following: Pending the fulfilling of certain criteria and parameters, you are entitled to Italian citizenship. And this is, whether we like it or not, an unbeatable topic. So are we witnessing the end of Italian players at clubs like the Milan duo and Juventus? Not quite yet.

In a world where even football has become a captive under the clemency of the blade that is the Euro, things are not the same as they were before. Clubs instituted by local masses have become licensed enterprises, and footballers have been dehumanised into paid salary workers. And with the ostensible growing rarity of local countrymen ever noticeable in your average European powerhouse, measures were required in order to refurbish some of the game’s lost prestige. Enter Joseph Blatter’s “6+5” rule (previously covered here on insidefutbol.com).

While critics of the plan have judged it “an opposition to working opportunities”, the law has recently been acquainted of its “harmful” nature, with many saying that, not only is this notion a practicable one, it is also a probable one.

Yes, football may just go back to being football by the implementation of Sepp’s law. With six players capable of representing the Italian national team – without having emblazed any other colours – a stressing prerequisite, gone are the days of player influx and buying potential. Clubs will be mostly judged by their aptitude of breeding players rather than adding digits to a cheque. The superintendents of the world’s most renowned youth academies will be rubbing their hands at the sight of this event. And if you thought that this idea was controversial enough, wait until you see the main course: “7+4” is next in line!

Much to the comfort of Fabiano Santacroce, Sebastien Giovinco and company, holders of a dual passport hold no interest in downing the famous blue shirt: A certain Amauri put aside, the Squadra Azzura is waiting for the onset of these players who will certainly establish their own generation of megastars. A good player is a good player, irrespective of where he chooses as his playground. So if you are good, you will be automatically selected by Marcelo Lippi, whether you are soaring towards another title with Inter or battling relegation with Reggina. But the fact that Italy’s champs haven’t got a single player in the current squad of 23 means that there is something erroneous with the system. With all due respect to everyone, would Lippi prefer to choose from the likes of Udinese and Palermo or Juventus and Inter?

Inter 08/09 Away ADRIANO