#6
Starting Eleven
The question that all of Italy always discusses is the one about whether Juventus is favourised by the referees. All the other teams fans claim that it is so and that the FIAT-family Agnelli's team can always count on the referees' help if needed.
Through history there are numeral incidents in the opposing fans' minds are help from the referees. Many of these happenings have taken place in less attentioned games, but strange things have also occured during extremly big "leageufinals" which have been significant for the outcome of the championship race.
From 1980 to this date there are above all four occasions that Juventus's foes claim proove that something's not in order in the Italian calcio.
The 10th of May 1981 Juventus took on Roma at Stadio Communale in Turin with only three games of the season left. Juventus has one point more than Roma in a game which has great signifigance for the outcome of league. At the score of 0-0 Romas Ramon Turone scores a goal that most people coonsidered correct.
The ref Paolo Bergamo allowed the goal at first, but in a matter of seconds he saw the linseman Sanci waving for offside. Consulting Sanci he decided not to allow the goal. By the TV-reruns it appeared as if Roma's goal had been nothing but rightful .
The game ended a draw and Juventus concluded their season as Italian champions.
One season after this occurance it was time again. With one game to go Fiorentina were at the top of the table with better goal differnce than Juventus. Fiorentina went to Sardinia to play Cagliari and Juventus went to play Catanzaro. For long it seemed as if both Fiorentina and Juventus had to settle with draws, thus being forced to play eachother for the goldmedal.
With 20 minutes left, Juventus is given a penalty which everybody but the Bianconeri thought was doubtful. Up steps Liam Brady who converts the penalty. Said and done, Juventus had ofor the second consecutive season the league after questionable refereeing.
The 26th of April 1998, with four games to go, Inter takes on Juventus at San Siro. Juventus are one point above Inter in table. In the second half Mark Iuliano trips Ronaldo and everybody expects that referee, Piero Ceccariini, will hand Inter a penalty.
He does not. Moments later, in a situation that looks like less of a penalty than the incident with Ronaldo, Juventus is given a penalty. The penalty is converted and with three games to go Juventus is four points ahead of Inter. That's an advantage that Juventus won't let go of.
The 7th of May 200, Juventus is two points before Lazio in the race the Scudetto. In 33th match of the season - in other words: with one game to go - Parma travel to Turin to play Juventus. In the final parts of the game Fabio Cannavaro headers the ball into the Juventus goal in a correct-looking manner. But Massimo de Santis, the referee, calls for a Juventus freekick. The part of Italy which doesn't root for Juventus is raging.
With one game to go, Juventus are still two points clear of Lazio. But Lady Luck wasn't on Juventus's side this time, and for many people, justice would be made. In a legendaric last game Juventus travel to Perugia while Lazio take on Reggina at home.
Lazio win their game easily but Juventus have a hard time against Perugia. All over Italy the sun is shining and the weather's beatiful. In Perugia, it's raining cats and dogs.
All the polemics from the previous week make it impossible for Pierluiga Collina, the ref, to pospone the game; that would only had been regarded as further proof that Juventus is favoured by the referees. Thus Collina lets the game take place. It doesn't take long before Perugia's Alessandro Callori scores the only goal of the match. Lazio are Italian champions.
These four incidents proove to many that Juventus are in fact favoured by the referees. That the issue is sensitive was shown when the Italian calcio handed out their "Oscars" in the fall of 2002. As part of the entertainment, a standup comedian joked about Juventus having the refs on their side.
The Juventus board didn't tolerate this and ordered Marcello Lippi and all of his players to leave the premesis of the awards The jokes at the awards came at not so good a time. In three of the first six matches of the leaugue, Juventus had doubtful refcalls taken in thier favour.
Juventus will always be blamed for being favourized by the refs. An aspect of this maybe the envy that the other teams feel towards Juve. Another aspect maybe the love of conspiarcy theories in Italy.
Even though there other referee-calls besides penalties, penalties are a good place from where to start in the quest for injustuce.
Juve last season were (together with Roma, the team that complains the most about injustices) the team which was handed the fewest amount of penalties against themselves.
But the statistics of penalties handed for them, does't differ much from the other teams. Then what's all the fuss about? Well, the other teams claim that Juventus are handed penalties in more "appropriate" situations than everybody else.
Needless to say, this is an eternal discussion.
Through history there are numeral incidents in the opposing fans' minds are help from the referees. Many of these happenings have taken place in less attentioned games, but strange things have also occured during extremly big "leageufinals" which have been significant for the outcome of the championship race.
From 1980 to this date there are above all four occasions that Juventus's foes claim proove that something's not in order in the Italian calcio.
The 10th of May 1981 Juventus took on Roma at Stadio Communale in Turin with only three games of the season left. Juventus has one point more than Roma in a game which has great signifigance for the outcome of league. At the score of 0-0 Romas Ramon Turone scores a goal that most people coonsidered correct.
The ref Paolo Bergamo allowed the goal at first, but in a matter of seconds he saw the linseman Sanci waving for offside. Consulting Sanci he decided not to allow the goal. By the TV-reruns it appeared as if Roma's goal had been nothing but rightful .
The game ended a draw and Juventus concluded their season as Italian champions.
One season after this occurance it was time again. With one game to go Fiorentina were at the top of the table with better goal differnce than Juventus. Fiorentina went to Sardinia to play Cagliari and Juventus went to play Catanzaro. For long it seemed as if both Fiorentina and Juventus had to settle with draws, thus being forced to play eachother for the goldmedal.
With 20 minutes left, Juventus is given a penalty which everybody but the Bianconeri thought was doubtful. Up steps Liam Brady who converts the penalty. Said and done, Juventus had ofor the second consecutive season the league after questionable refereeing.
The 26th of April 1998, with four games to go, Inter takes on Juventus at San Siro. Juventus are one point above Inter in table. In the second half Mark Iuliano trips Ronaldo and everybody expects that referee, Piero Ceccariini, will hand Inter a penalty.
He does not. Moments later, in a situation that looks like less of a penalty than the incident with Ronaldo, Juventus is given a penalty. The penalty is converted and with three games to go Juventus is four points ahead of Inter. That's an advantage that Juventus won't let go of.
The 7th of May 200, Juventus is two points before Lazio in the race the Scudetto. In 33th match of the season - in other words: with one game to go - Parma travel to Turin to play Juventus. In the final parts of the game Fabio Cannavaro headers the ball into the Juventus goal in a correct-looking manner. But Massimo de Santis, the referee, calls for a Juventus freekick. The part of Italy which doesn't root for Juventus is raging.
With one game to go, Juventus are still two points clear of Lazio. But Lady Luck wasn't on Juventus's side this time, and for many people, justice would be made. In a legendaric last game Juventus travel to Perugia while Lazio take on Reggina at home.
Lazio win their game easily but Juventus have a hard time against Perugia. All over Italy the sun is shining and the weather's beatiful. In Perugia, it's raining cats and dogs.
All the polemics from the previous week make it impossible for Pierluiga Collina, the ref, to pospone the game; that would only had been regarded as further proof that Juventus is favoured by the referees. Thus Collina lets the game take place. It doesn't take long before Perugia's Alessandro Callori scores the only goal of the match. Lazio are Italian champions.
These four incidents proove to many that Juventus are in fact favoured by the referees. That the issue is sensitive was shown when the Italian calcio handed out their "Oscars" in the fall of 2002. As part of the entertainment, a standup comedian joked about Juventus having the refs on their side.
The Juventus board didn't tolerate this and ordered Marcello Lippi and all of his players to leave the premesis of the awards The jokes at the awards came at not so good a time. In three of the first six matches of the leaugue, Juventus had doubtful refcalls taken in thier favour.
Juventus will always be blamed for being favourized by the refs. An aspect of this maybe the envy that the other teams feel towards Juve. Another aspect maybe the love of conspiarcy theories in Italy.
Even though there other referee-calls besides penalties, penalties are a good place from where to start in the quest for injustuce.
Juve last season were (together with Roma, the team that complains the most about injustices) the team which was handed the fewest amount of penalties against themselves.
But the statistics of penalties handed for them, does't differ much from the other teams. Then what's all the fuss about? Well, the other teams claim that Juventus are handed penalties in more "appropriate" situations than everybody else.
Needless to say, this is an eternal discussion.
Wow.... And I thought that modern football was born in 1863, Juve was founded in 1897, Inter in 1908 and that the San Siro was inaugurated in 1926... 
Hunchbacks.........
