Italian Sport:
Failure and success, that's sport, that's life!
We had the illusion, in truth more because of the strength of our history then for this limp moment of our football, but it ended the only way it could end: with an elimination in the first round, full of recriminations but, all in all, right.
Beyond the very questionable decisions by the referee during the third game, the one against Uruguay, among these the very rigorous expulsion of Claudio Marchisio and the not sanctioned bite of Suarez, the elimination has three names: Federal President Giancarlo Abete, head coach Cesare Prandelli, the supposed star Mario Balotelli.
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the "theft" of the organization of Euro 2012 (to the advantage of Poland and Ukraine) and Euro 2016 (to the advantage of France ) are the "broth" in which this failure occurred.
Cesare Prandelli, however, had it all wrong: in Brazil he brought a team without rhyme or reason, stuffed with midfielders, with virtually no first strikers but the absolute newcomer Immobile, top scorer in the Italian league but who never even played a single game of the Champions League. We all saw the results: aside the great victory against England, the team has hardly ever shot once on goal, holding the ball for most of the time but without practically doing anything.
Mario Balotelli failed the graduation exam. He is likely to be the Godot of our football invoked and expected to be the leader of the team, instead he showed the usual assortment of imprecision, sufficiency, arrogance and nervousness that, far from giving the expected value, added what definitively made us sink. Now, it is very likely that the team that will fight to qualify for Euro 2016 will not be built over Balotelli, who will have to struggle hard before returning to the blue dress.
President Abete failed to awaken the Italian football from the deep crisis in which it has felt years ago. The 2006 World Cup, the 2007 Champions League won by AC Milan and the one won by Inter Milan in 2010 just put the dust under the carpet. But crumbling stadiums, a less competitive league, the dizzying descent in the European ranking, the growing strength of violent fans among the supporters, the "theft" of the organization of Euro 2012 (to the advantage of Poland and Ukraine) and Euro 2016 (to the advantage of France ) are the "broth" in which this failure occurred.