Juventus News

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

8 Juventus Players That Made History

 

 

http://www.juvefc.com/8-juventus-players-made-history/

 

 

Jun 9, 2017

 

 

Juventus happen to be one of the biggest names in Italian football, and rightly so. The club is approaching 120 years of existence. Over the years, several trophies have been accumulated in the cabinet. The club has amassed 33 league titles, two Champions League medals, 12 Coppa Italia titles amongst many others. This rich history is a reason why free bets online continues to rank Juventus as one of the favourites for major honours. Here are the players who have played an instrumental role in creating Juventus’ rich history.

Dino Zoff

Dino Zoff is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers who represented Juventus in the club’s long history. Even though he made his name at the likes of Udinese and Napoli, his move to Juventus in 1972 produced remarkable success. He managed to win six Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia medals.

Zoff also remains one of the unluckiest names in the Juventus history after having finished as the runners-up in the European Cup on two occasions. However, he did bring a UEFA Cup title for the club in the meantime.

Didier Deschamps

Marcello Lippi’s first spell at the Juventus manager was a hugely successful one, and Didier Deschamps was a key figure in the midfield back then. His skills made Juventus extremely hard to beat, and this led to three Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, and one Champions League.

The role played by Deschamps in the Champions League success is extremely crucial considering that it is just one of the two European Cup titles won by the club in its long history. Deschamps might have played only 124 league games for Juventus, but the European Cup success has made him a key part of the club’s history.

Pavel Nedved

Pavel Nedved is one of the six Juventus players to have won the Ballon d’Or award. He is such a key figure at the club that he is now serving a role as the vice-chairman after having represented the club in more than 300 games across all competitions. Nedved played a crucial role in staying with the club during the darker days of relegation to the Italian Serie B for match fixing.

He helped the club return back to the top tiers of Italian football, while going on to win the likes of the Italian Serie A title twice. He was part of the Juventus team that lost in the 2003 Champions League final against AC Milan.

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane remains one of the charismatic players to have won the Juventus shirt. Even though he spent only five years with the club, he managed to lift a whole host of European honours like the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup. The Frenchman also won the league title twice, while he made just over 200 appearances in all competitions.

Giampiero Boniperti

Giampiero Boniperti is a one-club man who is cherished by the Juventus supporters. He represented the club from 1946 to 1961. His entire 15 year professional career was spent at Juventus. Even in the days of very less games, Boniperti still managed to rack up 465 appearances for Juventus in these 15 years. He managed to win five Italian Serie A titles while also being inducted to the Italian football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Gianluigi Buffon

Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Gianluigi Buffon cost Juventus a world record transfer fee in order to arrive from Parma in 2001. However, he has been a symbol of consistency and loyalty in these 16 years. Buffon was one of the players who struck with the club after the match fixing crisis and helped the Old Lady return to the top tier. Buffon has won eight Italian Serie A titles and three Coppa Italia medals.

Alessandro del Piero

Regarded as one of the best Italian players of all time, Alessandro del Piero spent the majority of his professional career with the Old Lady. He stayed loyal to the club even after relegation to the second division. Del Piero ended up making more than 700 appearances for Juventus in all competitions. He is one of the few Juventus players with a Champions League winner’s medal. Del Piero spent 19 seasons at Juventus and he helped the club win almost every major honour that they competed. Del Piero also remains the club’s all-time leading scorer with 290 goals.

Michel Platini

Michel Platini can clearly be called as the best Juventus player of all time. The Frenchman helped Juventus dominate domestic and European football, while his game brought fame to the Old Lady from all corners of the globe. In terms of titles or appearance numbers, Platini may be overshadowed by the likes of Del Piero.

However, Platini brought the club’s first European Cup title in the 1984-85 campaign after having failed to do so in the 1982-83 season. His performances during these periods were quite extraordinary and this earned him three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

U20: Orsolini wins golden boot

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/103969/u20-orsolini-wins-golden-boot

 

 

Jun 11, 2017

 

Riccardo Orsolini has won the Golden Boot as top scorer in the Under-20 World Cup after Italy got the bronze medal.

 

The Azzurrini had never previously gone beyond the quarter-finals in this competition, but beat Uruguay on penalties to secure third place today.

 

Milan's 17-year-old goalkeeper Alessandro Plizzari was the hero, parrying two spot-kicks.

 

England, who defeated Italy in the semi-final, went on to win the trophy by getting past Venezuela 1-0 with a late Adalberto Penaranda penalty saved.

 

Orsolini has more glory for the Nazionale, as the 20-year-old finished as top scorer in the World Cup on five goals.

 

He has already been snapped up by Juventus for next season from Ascoli.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

Official: Juventus launch women’s team

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/104248/official-juventus-launch-women’s-team

 

 

Jun 16, 2017

 

Juventus have officially confirmed that they will enter a women’s team into next year’s Serie A Femminile.

 

Bianconeri general manager Giuseppe Marotta confirmed last month that they were planning to launch a senior women’s team, as they already have female youth teams.

 

Now the club has officially confirmed on its Twitter profile that a women’s team will compete in Serie A Femminile next season.

 

Fiorentina won the League this season, winning 21 of their 22 games and finishing eight points ahead of Brescia.

 

The top-scorer in this season’s campaign was Scottish international Lana Clelland of UPC Tavagnacco with with 23 goals.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

Ex-Juve striker Coman arrested

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/104832/ex-juve-striker-coman-arrested

 

 

Jun 27, 2017

 

Former Juventus player Kingsley Coman, now at Bayern Munich, has reportedly been arrested for domestic abuse.

 

The 21-year-old French player was arrested by German police last night after an alleged attack on his former girlfriend.

 

She has been taken to hospital and, according to the reports, was signed off work for eight days.

 

Coman was given a court date for September.

 

Juventus signed Coman as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain’s academy in the summer of 2014.

 

He lasted one season before he was loaned to Bayern Munich for two years at a cost of €7m with option to buy for another €21m.

 

Last month, Bayern confirmed they were activating the option and therefore now own Coman outright.

 

He has 11 senior caps for France, scoring one goal.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

Trezeguet: 'I gave back to Juventus'

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/104838/trezeguet-i-gave-back-juventus

 

 

Jun 27, 2017

 

David Trezeguet reveals he dropped down into Serie B with Juventus after Calciopoli “to give something back.”

 

The striker was one of several stars who stuck by the Turin giants after their demotion to the second division in 2006, along with Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and Gigi Buffon.

 

“Every player has to decide his destiny, whether to stay or go,” Trezeguet told Mediaset Premium.

 

“Staying would mean playing in Serie B with a 16-point penalty. At that moment, you feel the need to give something back to Juve. We all stayed to help the club and start a new story.

 

“On a purely emotional level, that was a great season. Everywhere we went there was a sense of celebration and many lads came up from the youth academy. We won and got straight back to where Juve should be, in Serie A.

 

“The 2001-02 season was the best for various reasons. After Pippo Inzaghi’s departure, Marcello Lippi had chosen me to partner Del Piero.

 

“I had a very good rapport with Lippi and remember that at the start of the year he told me that if I scored 30 goals, I’d have to give him a present, otherwise he’d give one to me: at the end of the year, I scored 35 goals overall.

 

“It was a wonderful campaign, we won the Scudetto on the final day after so many years, that famous May 5. I also managed to win the Capocannoniere title and that was a unique feeling.

 

“I won other titles with Juve, but the first is the one I remember most fondly.” 

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

Guardiola: ’10 years to reach Juventus’

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/105342/guardiola-’10-years-reach-juventus’

 

 

Jul 6, 2017

 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes it will take “a decade” to reach the level of Juventus.

 

Regarded as one of the best tacticians in the world, the former Brescia and Roma midfielder didn’t win a trophy in his first season in England, and he has warned it’ll take time to reach Europe’s elite.

 

“I hope to have as much fun here as in the first season, because I enjoyed it,” Guardiola told Esportiu.

 

“There are people who say that it has not gone well, but it's the exception to what I've done so far - seven years of coaching and six leagues won.

 

“I’ve always been to the Champions League semi-finals. This year we didn’t get there, but not even Barça get to the semis every year.

 

“City are a great team, who have been in the Champions League for five years in a row, unique among the English, but getting to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus... it's very complicated. You need time, a decade.”

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

Vidal rejected €57m Inter offer

 

http://www.football-italia.net/105435/vidal-rejected-€57m-inter-offer

 

Jul 8, 2017

 

Inter bid €57m for Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal, but he turned it down because of his Juventus past, claim Chilean media.

 

The 30-year-old spent four years in Turin before he was sold to Bayern for €37m in 2015.

 

According to El Mercurio newspaper, the Nerazzurri put forward a proposal worth €57m to tempt Vidal back to Serie A.

 

However, it’s reported he turned them down, as it would mean going against his past bond with Juventus.

 

It seems likely that Vidal will extend his current contract in Germany, which expires in 2019, and accept a 20 per cent pay cut.

 

Vidal spent most of his career in the Bundesliga, featuring for Bayer Leverkusen from 2007 to 2011.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Alves: Juve didn’t understand me

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/107255/alves-juve-didn’t-understand-me

 

 

Aug 5, 2017

 

Dani Alves has fired another parting shot at Juventus. “I don’t think they understood my style of play.”

 

Alves left Juve after only one season as he joined Paris Saint-Germain last month, and the right-back – while expressing his gratitude to the Bianconeri – admitted he was no longer happy in Turin.

 

“Juve? I’m a player that likes to play with the ball a lot,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

 

“However, I don’t think they understood my style of play, and that’s why I wasn’t happy and decided to look for a new team. But I’m very grateful to Juve.”

 

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Turin square for Heysel victims

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/109435/turin-square-heysel-victims

 

 

Sep 5, 2017

 

The city of Turin will name a Piazza after the 39 victims of the Heysel Stadium disaster ahead of Juventus-Liverpool in 1985.

 

Before kick-off in the European Cup Final in Brussels, a wall collapsed due to pressure from Liverpool supporters, crushing 39 fans – 32 of them Italian – and injuring over 600.

 

Today the Mayor of Turin ratified the decision to name the Piazzetta Vittime dello Stadio Heysel (Victims of Heysel Stadium Square).

 

It is an area that runs between Dora Agrigento and Strada del Fortino.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Netflix to make Juventus docuseries

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/111101/netflix-make-juventus-docuseries

 

 

Oct 10, 2017

 

It has been announced that streaming giant Netflix will make a four-part docuseries about Juventus.

 

Starting early next year, four one hour episodes will go behind the scenes in Turin, with training sessions, matches and intimate moments in the lives of the Bianconeri players.

 

“Netflix is the home of passionate storytelling, and there are no more passionate fans than those of the Bianconeri,” said Erik Barmack, Vice President of International original series at Netflix.

 

“Erik Barmack, Vice President of International original series at Netflix.”

 

The series will be the first of its kind on Netflix, which has 104 million members in over 190 countries.

 

“It’s a source of pride that Juventus is the first football club to be the subject of a Netflix Original Docuseries,” Federico Palomba, Juve’s Co-Chief Revenue Officer stated.

 

“Collaborations of this kind confirm our passion for innovation and being, in every sense, a Sport Entertainment brand.

 

“In this way, we are determined to reach Bianconeri fans across the world and millions of Netflix users, who thanks to this docuseries can get to know Juventus from every angle.”

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Happy birthday, Del Piero

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/112553/happy-birthday-del-piero

 

 

Nov 9, 2017

 

Today is the 43rd birthday of Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006.

 

Born in Conegliano on November 9, 1974 the forward grew up in Saccon in the commune of San Vendemiano.

 

Del Piero’s father, Gino, was an electrician while his mother, Bruna, implored the young Alessandro to play in goal for the local youth team, reasoning that if he sweated less he’d be less likely to get ill.

 

Fortunately for the world of calcio, his older brother Stefano, who briefly had a playing career of his own, pointed out that Alex’s skill meant he’d be better up-front.

 

Indeed, legend has it that Del Piero used to practice his skills by repeatedly kicking a tennis ball off the light switch in his garage to turn it off and on - presumably Del Piero Sr had plenty of spare fuses.

 

At the age of 13, Del Piero joined the youth system of Padova, who were based around an hour away from his hometown and he made his first team debut at 17 against Messina.

 

The following season the youngster scored his first ever professional goal, scoring in a 5-0 win over Ternana, and his prodigious talents soon caught the eye of bigger clubs.

 

Both Milan and Juventus were interested, but having grown up supporting the Bianconeri Alex only had one destination in mind and after 14 Serie B appearances he made the move to Turin in 1993.

 

“My first night in Turin I couldn’t close my eyes,” Del Piero told Sky last week. “It was a moment of total euphoria for me, I didn’t sleep very much. Then you start to realise where you are, with the proximity of teammates of such a high level.”

 

The youngster initially split his time between the first team and the Primavera squad, making his full debut for the Old Lady on September 12 and scoring his first goal a week later against Reggiana.

 

Del Piero would make 11 Serie A appearances that season, scoring five goals - including a hat-trick against Parma on his first start - as well as winning the 1994 Viareggio tournament with the youth team.

 

That convinced incoming Coach Marcello Lippi to place more trust in the young forward for the following campaign, particularly when Roberto Baggio was injured in November.

 

Del Piero featured in 29 of the 34 Serie A games that season, scoring eight goals as Juve won their first Scudetto since 1986.

 

His stunning volleyed winner against Fiorentina remains one of his most fondly remembered goals, the youngster smashing the ball with the outside of his boot as it dropped over his shoulder.

 

 

The club decided to put their faith in Del Piero, and with Roberto Baggio departing that summer he became the Pinturicchio to Baggio’s Raffaelo.

 

Del Piero inherited the iconic number 10 shirt and his six Champions League trophy helped Juve lift the trophy for the second and, so far, last time.

 

After winning the Under-21 European Championships that summer, the 1996-97 season brought another Scudetto, but a stunning backheel in the Champions League final wasn’t enough to avoid defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

 

The following season saw Pinturicchio at the peak of his powers, scoring 32 goals in 47 games across all competitions as Juventus once again won the Scudetto.

 

However, Del Piero picked up a hamstring ahead of the Champions League final with Real Madrid and despite playing the full 90 minutes he was again on the losing side.

 

 

Perhaps still struggling with his fitness, Del Piero failed to live up to his billing at the 1998 World Cup as Italy went home in the Last 16.

 

The 1997-98 season started with two goals in eight Serie A games, but Alex was about to suffer the first major setback of his career.

 

In the course of a 2-2 draw with Udinese, Del Piero attempted a left-footed volley while being closed down by a Zebrette defender.

 

It was an innocuous collision, but Del Piero’s knee bent and buckled and he was stretchered off with a cruciate ligament injury, missing the rest of the campaign.

 

For the following two seasons Del Piero struggled to regain his form, missing two good chances as Italy lost the Euro 2000 final.

 

He only truly returned to being decisive toward the end of the 2000-01 season.

 

In February of that year, his father passed away and after coming off the bench to score against Bari, a visibly emotional Del Piero was held tight by Gianluca Pessotto after securing a 1-0 win.

 

Juve missed out on the Scudetto to Roma that season, but with Del Piero back to his best and striking up a deadly partnership with David Trezeguet they subsequently won two in a row under the returning Lippi, as well as another lost Champions League final.

 

Fabio Capello brought a further two Scudetti in 2004-05 and 2005-06, but the Coach was never convinced by Del Piero’s small stature and he was often substituted or benched during his tenure.

 

Nevertheless, he set up Trezeguet with a fantastic overhead kick for a goal against Milan which proved crucial in winning the 2005 title.

 

With Lippi now in charge of the national team, Del Piero was called-up for the 2006 World Cup and featured against the USA and Australia.

 

It was not until the semi-final that his impact would be truly felt though.

 

With Fabio Grosso having given Italy the lead against Germany in the 118th minute, the hosts pushed desperately for an equaliser.

 

Fabio Cannavaro won two quick headers, before moving the ball on to Alberto Gilardino. The striker ran at the defence, and spotted Del Piero coming up on his left.

 

The ball was slipped through to Pinturicchio, and he curled ball into Jens Lehmann’s top corner to put the result beyond doubt.

 

 

Del Piero also made his contribution in the final, scoring in the penalty shoot-out after coming off the bench.

 

The joy was short-lived though, as Juventus were stripped of their two most recent Scudetti and relegated to Serie B as part of the Calciopoli scandal.

 

Many players left, and Del Piero had offers from the likes of Manchester United, but the captain decided to stay and try to bring the club back to Serie A.

 

“A gentleman doesn’t leave an Old Lady,” he said simply at the time.

 

With Gianluigi Buffon, Trezeguet, Pavel Nedved and Mauro Camoranesi also staying, Juve bounced back at the first time of asking; with Del Piero as Serie B top scorer.

 

Though Del Piero followed that up by becoming Serie A Capocannoniere and received a standing ovation from the Bernabeu in 2008 after scoring twice, the next few years saw the Bianconeri struggle to reach their former heights.

 

Del Piero became the club’s all-time top goalscorer in March 2010, but Juve could only finish seventh in Serie A, a position they again occupied in the following campaign.

 

Everything changed, however, with the arrival of Del Piero’s former teammate Antonio Conte as Coach.

 

The Bianconeri won Serie A undefeated, and though he was mainly used as a substitute the veteran forward scored a crucial winning free-kick against Lazio.

 

However, it was announced during the course of that campaign that his contract would not be renewed, and Del Piero bade an emotional goodbye to the Juventus fans in the final Serie A game of the season against Atalanta - a match he scored in.

 

 

He also captained the team in the Coppa Italia final loss to Napoli, with his last action in a Juve shirt being to take the team under the Curva to salute the fans.

 

Del Piero moved on to Sydney FC, spending two seasons in the A-League with an average of a goal every two games before ending his career with Delhi Dynamos.

 

It is Juventus though, with whom he will forever be inextricably linked.

 

With 290 goals in 705 games, Del Piero is both the top-scorer and top appearance maker in the history of the club, and he won six - eight including the Calciopoli titles - Scudetti in Turin.

 

His trademark goal, cutting in from the left and bending it into the far top corner, is still known in Italy as the ‘Gol alla Del Piero’, and he’s third on the list of all-time free kick goals in Serie A, with 22.

 

Del Piero is also an Italy great, with his 27 goals leaving him fourth in the overall list and his 91 caps making him the 10th most-capped player of all time.

 

Alessandro Del Piero:

Games: 777
Goals: 316
Italy caps: 91
Italy goals: 27
Honours: Serie A [1994-95, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2011-12], Serie B [2006-07] Coppa Italia [1994-95] Champions League [1995-96] World Cup [2006]

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Evra given seven-month ban

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/112617/evra-given-seven-month-ban

 

 

Nov 10, 2017

 

Former Juventus full-back Patrice Evra has been suspended from all European club matches until June 30, 2018 and sacked after kicking an Olympique Marseille fan.

 

The France international was remarkably sent off during the warm-up of a Europa League game against Vitoria Guimaraes on November 2 after he confronted his own club’s supporters behind the touchline.

 

Following an argument, Evra was pictured kicking one of the fans in the head and consequently sent off before kick-off.

 

UEFA announced that Evra has been banned from all European club matches until June 30, 2018, and fined €10,000.

 

Marseille have also confirmed they decided to terminate his contract as a result of the incident.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Del Piero eyes Conte return

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/112740/del-piero-eyes-conte-return

 

 

Nov 13, 2017

 

Alessandro Del Piero admits he ‘hopes’ former Juventus teammate Antonio Conte can return to Italy after his spell with Chelsea.

 

Calls are mounting for Conte to replace Giampiero Ventura, with Italy 90 minutes away from a possible no-show at the World Cup next summer, and Del Piero admitted his country would ‘love’ him back.

 

“Conte? He did great with Juve of course and a great job with the national team,” the ex-Azzurri attacker told Sport360.

 

“We would love to have him back in Italy of course because he is a great Coach.

 

“He would improve any team and this is what he did with Chelsea last season and what he did with Juve as well.

 

“We had some problems and he fixed it, then won the title. He has some amazing qualities and that’s why he’s coaching the best teams in the world.

 

“I hope he will have a great period with Chelsea and then maybe one day come back.”

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

‘Conte captain of EPO Juventus…’ 

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/115343/‘conte-captain-epo-juventus…’

 

 

 

Jan 9, 2017

 

A journalist close to Jose Mourinho says Antonio Conte captained a Juventus team fuelled by EPO, and that the Portuguese has better hair.

 

Doctor Riccardo Agricola was given a 22-month suspended prison sentence in 2004 for administering banned substances to players between 1994 and 1998, including the blood booster EPO.

 

In December 2005 though, both he and managing director Antonio Giraudo were cleared of sporting fraud by Turin's court of appeal.

 

Conte and Mourinho have been trading barbs in recent days, and a Portuguese journalist who has been described as Mou’s unofficial spokesman brought up the doping trial in an opinion piece for Record today.

 

“The analyses were conclusive and definitive, according to the anti-doping authorities,” wrote Eladio Parames.

 

“The matter ended up before the courts. Appeal after appeal, influence from various sides made it possible to archive the trial and not have anyone seriously punished, to the despair of the controllers.

 

“And who was the Juve captain? Antonio Conte!

 

“Later that same gentleman was suspended for six months, accused of being involved in the ‘arrangement’ of results. He denied this, of course, but the infamy of being involved in murky negotiations has never gone away.

 

“And it is this gentleman, who as you can see comes from an untainted past, who accuses Jose Mourinho of, among other things, smallness.

 

“Could be, but he’s much bigger than the Italian in terms of trophies won and in… hair!”

 

There is no suggestion that Mourinho himself echoes these sentiments, but the quotes are being picked up extensively because of his close relationship with Parames.

 

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Juventus: 'Netflix liked our story'

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/117302/juventus-netflix-liked-our-story

 

 

Feb 16, 2018

 

Juventus explained how they became the subjects of a warts-and-all Netflix documentary. “They were interested in our story.”

 

The Bianconeri are the stars of the series First Team: Juventus, with the first three episodes released today all over the world.

 

“It was Netflix who sought us out, as they wanted to make a documentary on the world of football and evaluated various options. They were interested in our story and we guaranteed a certain type of access,” Juventus Co-Chief Revenue Officer Federico Palomba told juvenews.eu.

 

“The Netflix production crew arrived from the United States and filmed from mid-August to mid-December. They didn’t film every day, but were often with us.

 

“They had the opportunity to be present at training sessions, on away trips, but also moments that are hard to access usually, like the Coach having his tactical sessions and work in the gym.

 

“There are then some ‘vertical narratives’ with players in their private lives, going to their homes, seeing them pick up their kids from school or going shopping with their girlfriends.

 

“It wasn’t about getting paid, but the value of exposure on a platform with over 110m subscribers all over the world, including half of them in the United States, is priceless.

 

“It was a chance to grow on an international level and reach new Juventus fans.”

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Infantino plans new FIFA rules

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/117296/infantino-plans-new-fifa-rules

 

 

Feb 16, 2018

 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino plans to revolutionise football, scrapping the January transfer market, limiting loans and introducing a salary cap.

 

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, an 11-point plan will be discussed by the committee on February 28.

 

It’s believed the plans include removing the January transfer window and limiting the market so that it doesn’t overlap with competitive matches.

 

This was a proposal put forward by the English Premier League and certain Serie A clubs, who feel it is too distracting.

 

Another issue could be a real problem for Juventus and Udinese, the clubs who perhaps more than any other buy up talent only to loan them out via a network of other teams.

 

“It is important to include certain rules, such as limiting the number of players a club can own and loan out,” noted Infantino.

 

A salary cap could also be introduced, as Infantino found the “trend to be worrying, which is reason enough to act. We must protect the values that made football what it is.”

 

In a similar vein, commissions paid to agents and intermediaries can also be cut down.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

Official: Ibra joins LA Galaxy

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/118918/official-ibra-joins-la-galaxy

 

 

Mar 23, 2018

 

It has been officially confirmed that former Juventus, Inter and Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined LA Galaxy.

 

The Swedish forward was released from his Manchester United contract yesterday, and it was immediately assumed that he’d move to MLS.

 

This morning a full-page advert in the LA Times signed with Ibra’s name simply read “Los Angeles, you’re welcome”.

 

Now the Galaxy have posted a video of Ibrahimovic in their shirt, who then declares “Los Angeles… welcome to Zlatan”.

 

It appears the veteran striker will not join as a Designated Player, which would mean he would be exempt from Major League Soccer’s salary cap.

 

Each franchise is allowed three DPs, and as of March 8 La Galaxy had Romain Alessandrini, Giovani dos Santos and Jonathan dos Santos.

 

Ibrahimovic spent much of his career in Serie A, moving to Juventus from Ajax in 2004.

 

He won two Scudetti with the Bianconeri, though they were later revoked in the Calciopoli scandal, before switching to Inter in 2006.

 

After a further three Serie A titles in Nerazzurro, he moved to Barcelona, but after a falling out with Coach Pep Guardiola he returned to Italy with Milan.

 

Ibra scored 56 goals in 85 games for the Rossoneri, winning the Scudetto in 2011, before joining Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2012.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

ICC fixtures confirmed

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/120058/icc-fixtures-confirmed

 

 

Apr 17, 2018

 

Inter, Juventus, Milan and Roma have had their fixtures confirmed for this summer’s International Champions Cup.

 

The friendly tournament takes place in countries across the world, though primarily the United States.

 

However, this year’s competition will also see European matches, including Inter v Sevilla in Lecce.

 

The Nerazzurri will face Vincenzo Montella’s side on August 7, having already taken on Chelsea in Gothenburg on August 1.

 

They’ll finish up their ICC matches with a game against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on August 12.

 

Juventus will head to the States for their matches, kicking off against Bayern Munich at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia on July 25.

 

Three days later they’ll face Benfica at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey before an August 4 clash with Real Madrid at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

 

It had previously been confirmed that the Bianconeri would take on an MLS all-star team in Atlanta on August 1.

 

Two of Milan’s matches will be in California, as they face Manchester United at Pasadena’s Rosebowl on July 25 and Barcelona at the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on August 4.

In between those games is a match with Tottenham Hotspur at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis on July 31.

 

Champions League semi-finalists Roma are owned by Boston businessman Jim Pallotta, so it’s no surprise they’ll also be in the USA this summer.

 

Eusebio Di Francesco’s side face Tottenham in San Diego on July 25, Barcelona in Arlington Texas on July 31 and finish with a game against Real Madrid in New Jersey on August 7.

 

International Champions Cup fixtures [all times local time]:

Inter:

August 1: Chelsea, 13.00. - Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg
August 7: Sevilla, 13.00 - Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce
August 12: Atletico Madrid, 14.00 - Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid

 

Juventus:

July 25: Bayern Munich, 19.00 - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
July 28: Benfica, 13.00 - Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey
August 1: MLS all-stars, 19.30 - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
August 4: Real Madrid, 18.00 - FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

 

Milan:

July 25: Manchester United, 11.00. - Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
July 31: Tottenham, 20.30. - U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
August 4: Barcelona, 20.00. - Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

 

Roma:

July 25: Tottenham, 22.00. - SDCCU Stadium, San Diego
July 31: Barcelona, 22.00., AT&T Stadium - Arlington, Texas
August 7: Real Madrid, 20.00. - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

 

Juventus remember fan Erika

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/122348/juventus-remember-fan-erika

 

 

Jun 3, 2018

 

Juventus are marking the one-year anniversary of the Piazza San Carlo crush that saw 38-year-old fan Erika Pioletti killed.

 

The crowd was gathered to watch the Champions League Final against Real Madrid a year ago today.

 

A noise was heard, sparking a panic in which several were crushed and injured.

 

Pioletti was badly hurt and died from her injuries in hospital.

 

Today representatives of the club, FIGC commissioner Roberto Fabbricini, Mayor of Turin Chiara Appendino and President of the Juventus Museum Paolo Garimberti laid flowers under the arcades of Piazza San Carlo.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

 

New theory in Astori passing?

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/122636/new-theory-astori-passing

 

 

Jun 8, 2018

 

It is reported Davide Astori did not die in his sleep and suffered tachycardia - a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting rate.

 

According to Corriere della Sera, Astori may not have passed away in his sleep from bradycardia – when the heart slows down to the point it stops.

 

The newspaper explains the medical team performing the defender’s autopsy has discovered the opposite – that his heartbeat fatally sped up.

 

Furthermore, the Fiorentina captain ‘would have woken up’ and ‘could have saved himself’, had someone else been in his hotel room to call for medical assistance.

 

“I can’t anticipate anything,” said Udine prosecutor Antonio De Nicolo.

 

“I can only say that a dossier for unknown persons is open. My colleague is studying the document.

 

“We’ll make a decision as soon as our work is done on whether we continue our investigation or shelve it.”

 

Astori tragically lost his life on March 4, just hours before he was due to captain the Viola against Udinese.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

 

Ramos blocked Conte for Real?

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/123058/ramos-blocked-conte-real

 

 

Jun 16, 2018

 

Spanish paper El Pais claims Antonio Conte was ruled out for the Real Madrid job thanks to a veto from Sergio Ramos.

 

Zinedine Zidane walked away after three consecutive Champions League trophies and after several weeks of speculation, they poached Jolen Lopetegui from the Spain bench on the verge of the World Cup.

 

There were many other contenders for the role, including Max Allegri of Juventus and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino.

 

However, El Pais maintains current Chelsea boss Conte was never really in the running because of player power in the Merengues locker room.

 

It’s reported defender Ramos asked fellow Spaniards who had already worked with Conte for some information and decided to slam the door to the Bernabeu.

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

 

Happy birthday, Fabio Capello

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/123149/happy-birthday-fabio-capello

 

 

Jun 18, 2018

 

Today is the 72nd birthday of legendary Italian Coach Fabio Capello, a Champions League winner with Milan in 1994.

 

Born near Trieste in 1946, Capello began his career as a midfielder for Spal, before moving to Roma for 260m lire in 1967.

 

He scored his first goal for the club in November of that year, the winner against Juventus in a 1-0 victory.

 

The Giallorossi won the Coppa Italia in his second season, reaching the Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final the following season.

 

Capello moved on that summer, joining Juventus and winning three Scudetti.

 

There was disappointment for the Bianconeri in Europe though, as they lost the 1973 European Cup final to Ajax, and the 1975 UEFA Cup final to Twente.

 

A switch to Milan brought another Coppa Italia and a fourth Scudetto in the 1978-79 season, though injuries limited Capello to just eight appearances.

 

After managing only three appearances in the following campaign, the midfielder retired to focus on coaching.

 

Capello worked with the Rossoneri youth teams, before becoming assistant to Nils Liedholm in the 1986-87 season.

 

After the Swede was sacked, Capello took charge of the final six games of the season, achieving UEFA Cup qualification before stepping aside for Arrigo Sacchi.

 

When Sacchi left in June 1991, the former midfielder was appointed as his replacement, and the Rossoneri won Serie A unbeaten in his first season.

 

They easily retained the Scudetto in the following season, with the unbeaten run eventually reaching 58 games before a defeat to Parma in March 1993.

 

Milan also reached the Champions League final that season, but were beaten 1-0 by Marseille in Munich.

 

Capello’s side made it three-in-a-row in the 1993-94 season, and thrashed Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League final.

 

The Diavolo also reached the final in the following campaign, but they lost to Ajax and finished fourth in Serie A.

 

It was business as usual in the 1995-96 season though, with Capello’s men winning the title by eight points.

 

He then moved to Real Madrid, but despite winning La Liga he lasted just one season before an unsuccessful return to Milan.

 

Capello was then recruited by Roma to finally deliver them the Scudetto, something he achieved in the 2000-01 season.

 

Despite being known for his defensive style, Capello’s Giallorossi were an attacking outfit, wing-backs Vincent Candela and Cafu bombing on to support an attack featuring Gabriel Batistuta, Francesco Totti and, often, Vincenzo Montella.

 

His remaining three seasons in the capital failed to yield further success, and Capello returned to Juventus in the summer of 2004.

 

The Bianconeri comfortably won the Scudetto in each of the following two seasons, but Capello was criticised for results in Europe and the style of football his side played.

 

In the summer of 2006 the Calciopoli scandal broke, the two Scudetti were revoked and Capello once again departed Italy for Real Madrid.

 

While he won the club’s 30th Liga title, Capello’s negative style drew criticism from the fans, and a sense began to grow that he was yesterday’s man.

 

The man they called ‘Don Fabio’ was sacked in the summer, and became the England manager in December that year.

 

While the Three Lions breezed through World Cup qualifying, they failed to impress at the tournament in South Africa and were thrashed 4-1 by Germany in the second round.

 

A row over John Terry saw Capello dramatically leave before Euro 2012, and a subsequent spell with Russia yielded only a World Cup group stage elimination before Capello was sacked.

 

After a brief spell with Jiangsu Suning, Capello announced his retirement from coaching earlier this year.

 

Honours:

Player:

Serie A: 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75
Coppa Italia: 1968–69, 1976-77

 

Coach:

Serie A: 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 2000-01, 2004-05, 2005-06
Champions League: 1993-94
La Liga: 1996–97, 2006–07

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

 

 

Del Piero’s Boniperti tribute

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/123979/del-piero’s-boniperti-tribute

 

 

Jul 4, 2018

 

Alessandro Del Piero pays tribute to fellow Juventus legend Giampiero Boniperti, on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

 

Boniperti was President of the club from 1971 to 1990, and was the club’s all-time top goalscorer until he was surpassed by Del Piero.

 

“I’ll never forget the day I met you,” Del Piero wrote on his official website.

 

“It was a Sunday in early spring, one of those where the games started at four in the afternoon. Juventus were at the Là di Moret, the hotel where I stayed with the team many times in the years to come, when we went to Udine.

 

"There were, among others, Roberto Baggio, Vialli, Peruzzi, Kohler and Marocchi, guys who would later become my team mates, with Giovanni Trapattoni on the bench.

 

“It was the team I supported, it was my dream. I lived in a state of perpetual agitation in the days leading up to that meeting.

 

“‘The President wants to meet you’. That’s all I knew. I was 18-years-old, I went to that meeting with my father and for that reason the memory is even more dear to me.

 

“Papa and me, huge fans, had before us the man who was Juventus incarnate more than any other. And you, Presidente, had chosen me.

 

“I knew it was practically done, that by now I was basically a Juventus player, but I felt like I was in an exam in that moment, and fortunately I passed it.

 

“‘Cut your hair’, you told me. And with that advice - or rather that order - with which we said goodbye, you made me feel great, like part of the group.

 

“The real lesson you gave me though was that sense of love, respect, and total devotion to Juventus, which you managed to convey to me right away.

 

“Since then, for me like all Juventini, you’ve always been ‘il Presidente’. When I think back to what you did for this club, and for me, I get chills.

 

“You were the man of legend, tradition; of many records first on the pitch and then within the club. An example, a real symbol.

 

“Before leaving your office in Piazza Crimea - the one you had me visit, along with the trophy room, Presidente, when I signed my first contract - you gave me Juventus, I was the last of the young talents you brought to the club.

 

“And to Juventus you gave the player who had the honour and the privilege to follow you down the path of Juventus legend.

 

“I don’t think it’s possible to find a story as magical, as engaging, as yours. And the one that binds me to this team and to you.

 

“It’s a story we celebrated together on that night of the inauguration of Juventus Stadium, sitting together on the famous bench the club was founded on. Another incredible emotion, like the one in Udine.

 

“On this day of your glorious 90 years, I like to remember the words with which I presented you to the crowd that evening, as I thought of our first meeting.

 

“‘Today, just as then, I have before me the history of the Bianconeri shirt: il Presidente, Giampiero Boniperti.”

[Socrates 7963]

 

 

 

Pray for Pasquale Carlino

 

 

 

 

 

Jul 17, 2018

 

 

[Luigi Daniele 68]

Prayers offered for Pasquale.