Sep 21, TBD
Wheaton vs Babson
Sep 21, TBD
Springfield vs Emerson
Sep 21, TBD
Salve Regina vs Springfield
Sep 21, TBD
Coast Guard vs M.I.T.
Sep 21, TBD
Clark vs Coast Guard
Sep 21, TBD
Babson vs W.P.I.
Sep 21, TBD
W.P.I. vs Wellesley
Sep 21, TBD
Wheaton vs Clark
Sep 21, TBD
M.I.T. vs Mount Holyoke
Sep 21, TBD
Emerson vs Smith
Sep 28, TBD
Emerson vs Mount Holyoke
Sep 28, TBD
Springfield vs Clark
Sep 28, TBD
Clark vs Springfield
Sep 28, TBD
Coast Guard vs Wheaton
Sep 28, TBD
W.P.I. vs Salve Regina

10 Things In Italy: Inter-Icardi Crisis Continues & Pioli Buys Sandwiches

10 Things In Italy: Inter-Icardi Crisis Continues & Pioli Buys Sandwiches

In this week's edition of the 10 Things in Italy column, Fiorentina coach Stefano Pioli buys fans sandwiches and the Mauro Icardi crisis continues.

Feb 20, 2019 by Adam Digby
10 Things In Italy: Inter-Icardi Crisis Continues & Pioli Buys Sandwiches

Another seven days has passed in the wonderful world of Italian football, so let FloFC’s 10 Things get you caught up with what’s going on!

1. VAR shows the class of SPAL

So often it is the negative stories that grab the headlines (and trust us, there are some to follow later in this column!), but Sunday’s game between SPAL and Fiorentina offered a shining example of how classy some of the men in Serie A can be. In the first incident of its kind since VAR technology was introduced, the Viola saw an appeal for a penalty go unheeded by the referee and, as action moved to the other end of the field, their opponents scored to go 2-1 ahead.

Only they didn’t. With the VAR official on hand to check what had happened, the referee on the pitch was soon heading off to look at the monitor, returning to not only chalk off the SPAL goal but to hand Fiorentina a spot kick for the earlier foul on Federico Chiesa. Jordan Veretout stepped up to score, prompting a complete collapse from the Biancazzurri who faded badly and saw the game end in a 4-1 win.



Tempers were understandably high after the final whistle and SPAL president Walter Mattioli made his feelings abundantly clear to reporters in the post-match press conference. “We feel like it was robbed from under our noses,” he said. “It’s not a clear foul, he maybe has his toe trodden on. We know that Chiesa is not a trustworthy person, he invents fouls out of nowhere, but we know that is his attitude.”

But, just as it seemed the vitriol was going to mount, the owner backtracked. Having calmed down and seen better replays of the incident, Mattioli called Fiorentina chairman Mario Cognigni and vice president Giancarlo Antognoni to apologize for his outburst and admit he was wrong. Top man!

2. Stefano Pioli buys sandwiches

On his way home from that game with SPAL, Stefano Pioli stopped at a motorway service station. While he may have expected to quickly and quietly go about his business, the coach was instead mobbed by Fiorentina fans, who were clearly in good spirits and happy to see their boss so soon after an important win.



“Pagaci un panino,” they chanted, imploring him to “Buy us a sandwich!” which, being the excellent human being he is, Pioli was only too happy to do and he headed to the till to pay for their lunches.

3. The Icardi/Inter crisis rumbles on

Last week saw an incredible series of events at Inter, sparked by a simple statement explaining that they had appointed Samir Handanovic as club captain. That of course meant that Mauro Icardi was being stripped of the honor, which in turn led to him refusing to travel with his teammates for their Europa League clash in Vienna.

Since then, the striker has claimed to be dealing with an injury, has seen his wife/agent Wanda Nara break down in tears on television show Tiki Taka, which then prompted Inter CEO Beppe Marotta to phone in live to speak with her. Offering reassurances that the matter had nothing to do with ongoing contract negotiations, and that he had no doubts over “the player’s commitment or professionalism.”



What he did add was that “the decision was made as we’ve said because the head of a family at times has to make some decisions to help the children grow,” which perhaps says much about how Icardi’s maturity is perceived by the former Juventus official.

The whole matter was discussed at greater lengths in this previous column, but perhaps the most important thing of all is that not only did Inter win 1-0 in Austria, but they followed that up with an impressive 2-1 over Sampdoria without Icardi.

This is a long way from over.

4. Madness at Pro Piacenza

If you thought the Icardi saga was the most ludicrous matter from the last seven days, buckle up because here’s this week’s edition of “this could only happen in Italy.” The story of Pro Piacenza is one that should truly sadden any football fan, with the third tier club having started this season with three wins and two draws in the opening five rounds to sit top of the table.

However, the players only received half their wages from August and have not seen a penny since, the club falling into such financial disarray that a number of squad members and their families were kicked out of their rented homes due to unpaid bills.

As a result, Piacenza had not been able to field a full team and—after forfeiting the previous three games—headed into last weekend with a warning from the authorities that they would be kicked out of the league if they failed to fulfill their fixture with Cuneo.

They would try valiantly, assembling seven teenagers and a member of the staff, believed to be a physio, to take to the field on Sunday afternoon. They didn’t have a coach, meaning their 19-year-old captain had to sign in as their representative and the team were resoundingly beaten with the final scoreline reading 20-0.

In the end, it was in vain as they were kicked out anyway, Lega Pro President Francesco Ghirelli telling Radio RAI that the debacle “was an incredible violation of the foundations of sporting principles.”

5. Krzysztof Piątek keeps gunning

Having already made quite the impression since joining A.C. Milan, Krzysztof Piątek was once again superb this past weekend in a crucial clash with Atalanta. The Rossoneri needed to win to remain in the top four, while the opportunity to take points away from one of the opponents chasing them made the game a vital one.

Atalanta jumped out to an early lead and seemed to have the advantage, only for the Polish striker to produce a sensational equalizer as he practically had his back to goal but somehow hooked a volley around around his marker and into the far corner.



“I was being marked closely,” Piątek told broadcaster DAZN shortly after the final whistle. “But I knew the ball would come into the box sooner or later, so I made the movement to ensure I got there first.”

He certainly did and the strike sparked a complete turnaround as Milan went on to win 3-1, while Piątek’s latest effort made him the quickest player to ever score six goals for the club. He has managed the feat in just 310 minutes of playing time, beating previous record-holder Gunnar Nordahl, who took 419 minutes.

6. Cesare Prandelli inspiring Genoa

While they might instead be lamenting the loss of Piątek, Genoa have impressively set about getting on with life after the departure of the impressive hitman. His record of 19 goals in 21 games before the move to Milan had been invaluable for the Rossoblu, but they barely helped results as the club limped through October and November without recording a single win. 

That streak led to yet another coaching change with Cesare Prandelli becoming Genoa’s third different boss this season on Dec. 7. His first four games saw the team continue to struggle but, since a loss to Milan on Jan. 21, the Grifone have been transformed, going on a four-game unbeaten run that culminated with last weekend’s 2-1 win over Lazio. 

Yet rather than enjoy the moment, the former Fiorentina and Italy boss was quick to give credit instead to Genoa supporters who had made Marassi a cauldron for the visit of the Rome-based side. "What a match! We are lucky to play in such an extraordinary stadium,” Prandelli told Radio Anch’io Sport after the final whistle. “The results are coming and our fans, who are lucky enough to love the oldest team in Italy, do not need many words from me, they just follow the team, fight and seek victory with her.”

7. Juve Ultras go too far

All season long, Juventus Ultras have been protesting against rising ticket prices, the most loyal Bianconeri supporters feeling as if they are being penalized for the quality of their team. Opposition clubs have been charging inflated fees for away games, while the Turin giants themselves have vastly increased their prices, with the latest game against Frosinone seeing €150 as the price for the East Stand.

As a result, a stadium often filled by tourists and one-off visitors meant that the Friday night encounter last week against the relegation-threatened Minnows saw close to 4,000 empty seats. While the stance taken by the Ultras is understandable—and was explained in detail in this article for The Independent—they went too far against Frosinone, remonstrating with other fans who chose to celebrate Paulo Dybala’s opening goal.



They are free to take whatever approach they choose and this writer in particular has a huge amount of sympathy for them, but supporters who disagree should be allowed to back their team too.

8. Torino holding Napoli goalless

While Juve fans were asked not to cheer their own team’s goals on Friday, their neighbors preventing Napoli from scoring later in the weekend was certainly worth celebrating. A 0-0 draw with the Granata saw Carlo Ancelotti’s second-place side fall 13 points behind the leaders, but the performance of Torino deserves widespread admiration.



The home side bossed proceedings at the Stadio San Paolo, enjoying 64.5 percent of possession and taking 26 shots to Torino’s 10. Yet Walter Mazzarri’s well-organized team were able to frustrate Lorenzo Insigne and co. with a superb performance, and goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu made no fewer than nine saves over the 90-plus minutes of action.

9. How many times can Palermo be sold?

Not far behind Piacenza on the “you couldn’t make it up” scale comes the latest happenings at Palermo. Currently second in Serie B and odds on to return to the top flight, the Sicilian club were bought by a British consortium in December, only for previous owner Maurizio Zamparini to never receive the funds.

He resumed control but then, according to a statement on Palermo’s official website, instantly sold them to the Mirri family and other local investors, much to the delight of club president Rino Foschi. 

“I fought to get hold of the shares and now we’re credible in the eyes of Lega B and the FIGC, who have been very close to me during this period,” he told reporters at a press conference to announce the takeover. “Now we have to get out of this spell. We won’t end up like Parma. We’ll come out with our heads held high.”

10. A.S. Roma still relying on Daniele De Rossi

Monday evening’s game saw A.S. Roma struggle to a tense 2-1 win over Bologna, with much of their problems caused by a lackluster midfield. It was the latest piece of evidence in what is becoming a notable trend, the Giallorossi looking poor any time Daniele De Rossi is left out of the side.



Sent on in the 68th minute with his team 1-0 but floundering, the Italy international quickly imposed himself on the game, setting up Federico Fazio for the second Roma goal. He also made two important tackles, showing just how much the club needs their 35-year-old captain. 

Adam Digby is an Italian football writer for FourFourTwo, The Independent, and elsewhere. Author of "Juventus: A History In Black & White." Follow Adam on Twitter.

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