FOOTBALL: VERONA ...IS THE CAPITAL

They honoured it with a fantastic derby, full of excitement, goals and competitive vigour. The fact is, for the moment, Chievo and Verona deservedly fill the front pages of the sports papers and dailies. Like Romeo and Juliet, the two Veronese clubs flirt in fact in the mid-top sections of the A division table. It does not matter much if the match between the two local teams has rewarded Verona, the team lower down in the table, and if Chievo, despite an extraordinary defeat, after being 2-0 up, still maintains solitary supremacy at the top. What is remarkable, which makes the yellow blues phenomenon unique (the club colours of both), is the fact that at present the city on the bank of the Adige has left behind, in footballing terms, the three historically noble metropolis (Milan, Turin and Rome). Fever at 36, reads the points total of Verona and Chievo, better than the other opponents, that share town supremacy. They should have both started off to save themselves, instead they are even fighting for a place in Europe. It is right to celebrate, right to highlight how sound planning without extravagant expenditure can produce excellent football and prestigious results. The Big Clubs wait, hoping that the phenomenon won’t last, but beware since granting extenuating circumstances to them lagging behind does not always give good results. In fact, the packed fixtures programme for the favourites may play unpleasant tricks. It takes little, badly manage one’s own energy resources and voilà, the surprise is served. So, for the moment, Verona and Chievo seem clamped in the vice of Inter, A.C. Roma, Juventus and perhaps A.C. Milan. All clubs, however, which are still competing in Europe and the Italian Cup. Therefore who knows if having to expose themselves on more fronts, will risk a continuation of the Veneto miracle. A couple of thoughts also on the elation of Alberto Malesani, Verona manager, at the end of the derby. A good 5 minutes under the terrace of his own fans among shouts, stripping-off and celebrations with whoever happened to be within reach (including a couple of firemen!!). Some Solon-like news figure reprimanded him straightaway because a serious manager cannot be seen to let himself go with such ostentatious behaviour, and in so doing, besides, may never have the chance of managing a big team. Malesani did not think twice about it and he flung himself against all and everybody in a live broadcast, prompting criticism on his behaviour which, in his opinion, was ridiculous and hypocritical. An answer which was a bit over the top, also by way of its tones, but which in part had a foundation of truth. In fact, a manager is also a person just like any other and has the right to be able to express his own emotions. That Malesani was this type: outspoken, direct, with no half measures, we had already gathered from his time at Fiorentina and Parma. The fact is that in the football of today, when a person behaves in a spontaneous manner, also betraying one’s indigenous emotions, it always stirs the trend of the obsessive search for supposedly hidden motives. Finding a reason at all costs that justifies an action, and so if Malesani heads for the terrace after a hard-fought victory, it is not because he has a surge of uncontrollable and instinctive joy, as rather because he wants to play to his own fans with behaviour that is not usually seen at football grounds. Unfortunately the hot-tempered Alberto made a mistake by looking for justification, trying to explain the reason behind an irrational gesture and, above all, falling into the trap of those who must and want to create provocative news and as one who does not expect anything else, on Sundays which are often unproductive and conventional, of the propitious assist. For myself, I didn’t like only one aspect of the excessive elation, and it concerns a matter of tact: Malesani has previously trained Chievo, with whom he climbed up from C2 to B division in building a small organizational miracle. However, gratitude is not confined to successes on the pitch, because there was a double gamble at the bottom of it all: that of Malesani, the employee who left Canon to pursue a typically Italian dream and, above all, that of the Campedelli chairman who entrusted this high-flying 35 year old with the ascent of the “family toy”. Now if there was something wrong in his excessive jubilation, in going under the terrace of the rival club, turning his back on his former fans, I can only sense in this a lack of sensitivity towards those (the Campedelli family) who allowed you to reach the football that counts. Once this point has been sorted out, with the respective apologies, I do not believe that Malesani has to account for his actions with anybody on how he celebrated such a hard-fought victory.