Only a Warning

This type of media attention usually follows Feyenoord and I when we leave the plush offices of Azzurri Dreams. It usually takes at least a drink or two to take the edge off after I feel like Carvalho whose personal space has been intruded(but for the sake of legal purposes, I cannot decribe this analogy any further).

I must admit, we at Azzurri Dreams always looked at the match-fixing crisis in Italy and subsequent verdicts as those huge rainmaker law settlements only to usually see the actual damages awarded dwindled down. And so it goes that the Italian landscape has changed, for the short-term, but the long-term implications have not. Lost in all this that a message was sent, a strong one, but teams were still given the lucrative opportunities to play back in the Serie A so really, what type of message was sent. This was the opportunity to clean out the game. And it did not, entirely.

In all, we saw the dismantling of Juventus for two years and Milan(-8), Fiorentina(-17), Lazio(-11) appeal and rejoin the race for the scudetto. Now the funny thing, is you have two teams vying for the Championship, Inter Milan and Roma with Milan probably focused on the Champions League.

Now the idiots at Inter still do not have a team that will run away with the title with AC Milan still being able to make a strong run for it. As for Roma, I do not know if they can win it as they need strike support(look for them to grab Iaquinta) but then again they are only chasing Inter. I wonder how great it will be watching a team play that has 2 games in hand over their nemesis and city rival. At least, in the Serie B, we are geared up for nights of fabulous riots when Napoli and Juventus play...take that Inter, oh wait that is what your fans do.

Now let the deals start coming together. Inter up their bid for Luca Toni, want Viera(almost a foregone conclusion) and will sign at least another Argentine player they do not need to go along with the other 11 they already have. Watch for Crespo to be linked up with either Inter or Milan and for the conclusion of the Buffon deal in the next short few days now that his new employer will be playing in the Champions League.

The Italian Championship now looks like this:

Ascoli
Atalanta
Cagliari
Catania
Chievo
Empoli
Fiorentina (-19)
Inter
Lazio (-11)
Livorno
Messina
Milan (-8)
Palermo
Parma
Reggina
Roma
Sampdoria
Siena
Torino
Udinese
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Inter, Roma
PRELIMINARY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Milan, Chievo
COPPA UEFA: Palermo, Livorno e Parma.

The future is that the lesson here in Italy(again) is that the special interests in the game, won out again. Corruption has a smiling face on it again. There is a dink in the armor, but they all came out alright. Again, as they always do.

Now we can focus on the new story rocking the European football community...the scandal in Turkey. Not really, that would be as interesting as watching David Beckham apply hair gel at half-time to spike his hair. But lets give thanks that this saga just like Wayne's kick and the terroist head butt situation is behind us and I can get back to doing what I do best, talk about football and not the drama that comes along with it. Then again, I might be bored.
Azzurri Dreams