Losing perspective
by Football Italia
Only in Italy... Those of us who watch Serie A habitually know that phrase can be used as a positive or a negative, but it remains inevitably true.
Where else would two clubs trade official statements and bitchy tweets, going back and forth like bored teenagers? These arent even small sides with local rivalry; they are historically the clubs with the most Scudetto titles and are the best-known abroad.
The fact Juve and Milan are acting so childishly says an awful lot about the way football is discussed in Italy. Theres no difference between the bar talk and what goes on in television interviews. The clich was always everyone in Italy is a tactician. Now everyone in Italian football is an ultra, complete with the blinkered refusal to accept any other point of view.
Only in Italy would a side that lost 3-1 spend days protesting that the line drawn on a replay mightve been slightly askew. Putting aside the whole issue of perspective, camera angles and basic geometry, just look at the footage in question. Even in the worst case scenario, Carlos Tevez was offside by at most 10 centimetres and that is being generous. Near the centre-circle. In a game that Milan lost 3-1. Its hardly the most scandalous refereeing decision the world has ever seen, is it?
Rafa Benitez and Rudi Garcia have unfortunately settled into the Italian vibe all too well, learning some of our worst habits. Roma moaned non-stop about the game in Turin again, all decisions that were borderline at best. The kind Benitez would describe with the phrase: It can happen.
In Italian ci pu stare can also translate as Ive seen them given or its an acceptable margin of error. Whats so scandalous about that? If it wasnt Juventus on the other side of those decisions, absolutely nothing. Theres more being said about this offside than the Palermo goal that clearly went over the line against Sampdoria.
Italian football is utterly addicted to outrage. No decision can go uncontested, no defeat fully deserved, no excuse left untried.
A lot of this is what makes Serie A so much fun. Nowhere else do you get this in-depth analysis of every move or so much tasty controversy to chew over between games. On the other hand, it can get tiring when we have to explain geometry while being called a cheat apologist.
Maybe its not just the parallel lines that we dont have in perspective.
P.S. Before anyone calls me biased in favour of the Bianconeri, please remember I am a Milan fan.