Death in the Afternoon

Photo: www1.skysports.com


I have never written articles on this website using words such as “I think”, “in my opinion” or “personally speaking”. Well, there is always a first time, allegedly. This post may look like an editorial, rather than a news article, though. Or it might be a hybrid.

As long as we are would-be journalists, we have to report what happens around us. Regardless of its sadness or harshness, news has to be given. Almost consequently, it was unavoidable to report the tragic end of Piermario Morosini, a 25-year-old footballer who collapsed on the pitch while he was playing in the Italian Serie B match between Pescara and Livorno, his side. Only half-a-hour had passed when he started to feel sick. He desperately tried to stand on his feet, but he fell onto the ground. He has died of heart attack.

On the other hand, this drama raises various questions, it enlightens different views towards football and sports, invites us to reflect. The memory of what happened to Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba less than one month ago is still vivid; his heart temporarily ceased to beat during a match against Tottenham, but then it started again. Not the same happened in the case of Morosini.

More - Continua

Sports and the Holocaust: the Hakoah Vienna's story

The scenario looks as if the clock was stopped over half-a-century ago. A track and field area, a swimming pool and various playgrounds peep out inside the lush Prater, Vienna's main park. Meanwhile, a kosher restaurant and a child care centre spring among the facilities. What is really new compared with the 1930s, history has swept Nazis away, while a crest with a letter ‘H’ enclosed by a blue-and-white Star of David still stands out on the walls.

Welcome home, Hakoah. Founded in 1909 by cabaret librettist Fritz Löhner and other prominent figures, Hakoah - “force” in Hebrew - was a Vienna-based Jewish sports club, particularly popular in the interwar period. It counted 5,000 members at its peak and its activities included over a dozen sports, such as fencing, swimming, track and field. And football; Hakoah’s XI, composed also by Hungarians, was a remarkable side in the 1920s, allegedly the most flourishing period for Austrian Fußball.

Up where we belong

Photo: Theballisround.co.uk

This is the sports feature I had to write as assignment for my Sports Journalism module in the MA in Sports Journalism I am attending at Sheffield Hallam University. It is about the decline of Sheffield in football. The title - "Up where we belong" - is taken from a song by famous musician Joe Cocker, who is Sheffield-originated. I guess both United and Wednesday should be in the Premier League, as they have a very solid and loyal fan-base even in League One. I hope my staying in the Steel City can help both of them in promoting...

La storia ha inizio da noi - 8

Oggi è un giorno speciale. Certo, è Santo Stefano, dunque è giorno di festa. Per gli amanti del calcio, il 26 dicembre dovrebbe essere un giorno da doppio circoletto rosso sul calendario. Come tradizione vuole, in Inghilterra si gioca regolarmente il campionato. Fu proprio in occasione di un Boxing Day che si giocò una partita destinata a divenire storica.

Photo: Neil Theasby

La storia ha inizio da noi - 7

Se è vero, come dicono Simon Kuper e Stefan Szymanski nel loro libro "Calcionomica", che gli anni Ottanta sono stati il periodo più buio per il calcio inglese, è altrettanto vero che lo Sheffield Football Club non ne rimase immune. Detto dell'iscrizione alla neonata Northern Counties League nel 1982, la società inizia ad accusare i cambiamenti in essere nel mondo del calcio.

Gli anni Ottanta, infatti, sono la decade che accompagnerà il pallone nel periodo che lo stravolgerà definitivamente, con la televisione che sarà sempre più invasiva e con gli stipendi dei calciatori che subiranno un'impennata paurosa. Cambiamenti epocali sono in atto pure nella società britannica: il settore secondario è in crisi, come dimostrano lo sciopero dei minatori e le condizioni proibitive di alcuni settori trainanti dell'industria di Sua Maestà.

La storia ha inizio da noi - 6

Nonostante la trasferta in America porti, indubbiamente, prestigio al calcio dilettantistico inglese, lo Sheffield Football Club rimane imprigionato in una sorta di limbo. Tutto ha avuto inizio da Creswick e Prest, è innegabile, ma la storia ha oramai imboccato un'altra direzione. Inutile negarlo: le attenzioni degli appassionati sono tutte per il calcio professionistico, i cui primi campionati vengono dominati dalle squadre delle ricche città industriali quali Birmingham, Liverpool, Preston e Sunderland.