W La Gialappa's Band

Amid all this posturing over which nation is the greatest and cleverest at football, many have lost sight that the World Cup is also a gigantic party.  The best teams in the world are giving us a show, and people from all nations have flocked to South Africa to cheer and mingle.  Millions more flock to their local bars, pubs, salons, TV sets, radios, computers and Iphones to watch, meet, eat, drink and engage in other merriment.  For the most part, no matter the outcome, fans remember that they have been protagonists of the global celebration.  And they celebrate...

There are certainly those glum and angry with disappointment with Italy's poor show.  I pity them, but I will not linger over them.  I would like to call attention to three Italians who have not lost heart despite this, and treat this event as it should be: a global celebration.

Viva La Gialappa's Band...Long Live the Gialappa's Band, that's the title of today's blog.  Who are the Gialappa's Band?  They would need explaining to the American public; indeed, to most of the world who has not lived in Italy for some time.  They are Carlo Taranto, Marco Santin and Giorgio Gherarducci (respectively, see photo) a comedy trio who launched themselves via radio with their sarcastic and derisive commenting on national team football games, beginning with the 1986 World Cup.  Since then, they have commented every World Cup, including this one, and every European Cup as well.   From this notorious beginning, the Gialappa's Band have since conducted a series of shows named "Mai Dire..." "Never Say...", such as Mai Dire Gol (Never Say Goal), Mai Dire Grande Fratello (Never Say Big Brother) and Mai Dire Domenica (Never Say Sunday) that are comedy skits and running commentaries on various cultural phenomena, such as Japanese bonzai shows, football and sport, music, reality shows and politics.   They often tread a fine line as they designate significant time to ridiculing PM Silvio Berlusconi, the owner of the media network which employs our sardonic trio.  This year, as many have hoped, they are back for more World Cup Madness.  They are broadcasting on Radio RTL.  Here is the link: Radio RTL.  The show is called Noi Dire Gol (We Say Goal).  Here are some very simple instructions for full appreciation: First, at the start of the game, turn off the TV volume.  Second, click on the link to listen to the radio transmission.

The Gialappa's Band like to have guests that are the nationalities of the teams of the game they comment- preferably beautiful women.  (According to our kind hosts, their female guests are always indeed always quite stunning.)  The guests read off the rosters, so the audience can hear the "correct" pronunciation of the names.  There is a lot of banter between hosts and guests, but most of the commentary is reserved for the players, coaches, referees and anything that has to do with the event.  They interact with their radio audience by asking questions and inviting answers sent via text messaging, emails, Facebook, radio website and telephone.  They then read back answers, and chat with callers on-air.  The trio also conduct various polls; the main one for the tournament this year is "Chi e' il pippero del torneo, cioe' chi si e' messo in luce"... "Who is the tournament screw-up; that is, the person who has stepped into the spotlight."  Blanco has the lead so far, followed by Domenech and Senderos.  You can vote on the website or by text message.  Furthermore, a Facebook page has just been created for those who would like to have their lives commented upon by the Gialappa's.  There are already over 6,000 members.

If commenting the World Cup games aren't enough (The Gialappa's do 2 a day, at 10 am and 2:30 pm, Miami FL time), in the morning, one half hour before the start of the first game (7:00 Miami, FL), they do a one hour radio program on another radio station called Radio DeeJay.  The program is called Mai DeeJay Gol (Never DJ Goal).  They do not comment the first game, though the transmissions briefly overlap.  Instead, our trio of friends conduct a more classic-style radio show, with music, dialogues and interviews, but with a World Cup Theme.  For example, during the very first broadcast, they introduced the World Cup Theme Song, Somalian musician K’Naan’s "Wavin’ Flag."  They thought it was horrible (and I wholeheartedly agree), so they decided that something else should be the official theme song.  Their friend and musician Rudi Zerbi suggested a song that "has been close to my heart for a very long time"; "Er, exactly how long a time are we talking here?"  Giorgio Gherarducci sneered back.  The song was "Jozin z Bazin" a Czech folk song from 1978.  The video is hilarious (click here to see it).  I highly recommend watching it.  Even though you have no idea what they are saying...  Actually, there is an English subtitled version, but I'm going to let you find it...(hehehe).  This is one of their main running themes so far.  The Gialappa's also feature telephone "interviews" with famous personalities.  Most are Italian sports figures, such as Mario Balotelli, Davide Mannini, Massimo Moratti, Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.  Of course, the sports personalities are really comic imitators, and the dialogues are loaded with double senses, "news flashes" and running jokes. 

The Gialappa's Band remind us that this event is a celebration, and that there is laughter to be found in every tragedy, even one as big as Italy finishing last in their qualifying round and going home early.  So for the World Cup Blues, Dr. Maria suggests a minimum 1 hour of Gialappa's Band a day.

I apologize and admit that I was so caught up with them, it hadn't occurred for me to share it with the rest of you from the very beginning.  But never fear: if you can't catch them live, you can listen to a rebroadcast, and it lets you skip the commercials too!

Click here for Radio DeeJay show rebroadcasts.  The full calendar is at the bottom right.

Click here for Radio RTL game rebroadcasts

W la Gialappa's Band!!!

Third Round Assessement: Expectations

This edition of the World Cup has been a big disappointment for the Azzurri. In fact, it is considered one of the Top 10 worst performances. I think that the Italians, while preparing for disappointment, are surprised at how the pieces fell into place. Most, myself included, expected Italy to pass to the knockout stage; however at best, it could arrive at the quarter-finals. Not qualifying at all and finishing last, with more goals given up than scored, is very distant from this expectation. It could have been worse, as history has shown. But then, it shouldn't be so surprising, as the country has been bemoaning the mediocrity of the national team for some time now. Even the 2006 World Champions took time to warm up to the Italians (as did the 1982 team). If Italy had tied, as in '82, it would have advanced. And perhaps a scenario would have repeated itself again...But I don't think so, because the players on that team were true champions. I am not criticizing or demeaning the qualities of the present players, and I do believe they are the best players in the country, but this generation rests at an inferior level.

I saw several positive things about the team. I thought that even though the midfield still struggles to win and distribute the ball, the players worked hard to execute the coach's orders. The newer players gave energy and cohesion to the team that increased with each match. The play was more mid-field and attack oriented, rather than defensive ball possession. Italy did pretty well on several occasions of getting up the field quick with four or fives passes with a shot on net. Not enough, unfortunately, but much more adept than the Euro 2008 team.

All in all, Italy's final standings reflect a team that has a lot of hard workers, but lacking that spark of brilliance. Sometimes a decent performance can get satisfactory results, but at the World Cup, you just can't play "alright" and expect to come out of the group stage. You need that extra push to get you past the others; to show the world why you deserve a spot in the elite tier, rather than that other team. The 2010 squad isn't completely hopeless. The general agreement is that there is a great need for fresh faces. New CT Cesare Prandelli already has the football world galvanized. With Lippi's exit, so a number of problems calling up players will disappear with him. Not calling up players such as Antonio Cassano, Fabrizio Miccoli and Christian Panucci were due to litigation among those players' managers and Davide Lippi, ex-CT of Italy Marcello Lippi's son. Davide is a manager in the Player's Association who had legal problems with these players (and others). Many point to "personality conflicts" with the coach (Cassano and Panucci), but these conflicts probably arose from the managing situation. And it will probably be the last term of "The Senators," some of which (Gattuso, Cannavaro) have already announced retirement from the national team. But let's not get too carried away. Each coach builds his own group the way he sees fit. We will see "Prandellian" Senators soon enough.  

Italy's results fell far short of our expectations, low though they were. There is a lot of disappointment out there, but I hope that doesn't dampen interest in and enthusiasm and support for the rest of the teams.  As far as I'm concerned, this is the world's biggest party, and I'm still partying on.

Second Round Assessment: Reputations

There have been many criticisms leveled at the South African World Cup, I would like to address two of them.  First, that it has been very dull so far; second, that many of the teams have deluded with lackluster performances.

  I believe that the lack of excitement is due to a leveling of playing and technique.  Much of the spectacle traditionally comes from beating adversaries of a much lower skill level.  However, high profile games also have great reputations and goal-scoring, such as Argentina-England of '86 and Italy-Brazil of '70.  In most countries participating in the World Cup, there is a men's professional league.  We bemoan the state of African football, as the home team becomes the first in World Cup history to not pass the qualifying round; and it looks as if only Ghana will go onto the round of eight.  There are a significant number of Africans play in the world's professional leagues, but most of them play in amateur leagues.  And the political instabilities in different areas of the continent certainly retard the development of football, as they interrupt the development of many other cultural and social events.  When over 95% of African footballers are professional, then they will be able to make a real bid for the title.

  I believe this is why countries like Switzerland, the United States, Japan, Korea Republic and even New Zealand, have surprised the world.  New Zealand's league is not professional, but thirteen of them play professionally outside the country.   In modest leagues, of course, but modest leagues are challenging too, and we forget that they are populated by players from higher divisions.  Here, they learn to defend and work hard in midfield. We have seen that the ability to defend has risen dramatically, which has had the unfortunate effect of rendering games with low scores and draws.  Professional and national teams everywhere are also hiring coaches with international experience.  This migration of coaching tactics is also leveling the playing field.

The second problem is linked with the first, and that has to do with national team reputations.  First, there is the reputation of the national leagues, which for England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, are considered quite prestigious.  Generally, the assumption is if the national league is strong, then so is the national squad.  Of course, conflict emerges because everyone has inflated ideas of the importance of their league, and fans build up expectations that far exceed possibilities.  Second, even the "big" teams that have won, such as Argentina and Brazil, have disappointed because they didn't roll over the competition.  So far only one game has been a complete rout, Portugal-North Korea 7-0.  Expectations always rise, and the world expects to see this kind of result from certain teams.  Since many of the weaker teams have improved and the more important teams go through their ups and downs, what we are now seeing are fresher stronger sides challenging established ones that are struggling in transition. 

Let's look at the example of the latest debacle.  As a German acquaintance of mine said once, "France is always good for some drama."  Indeed, the French have not disappointed during this edition.  All the brouhaha over the player selections and tactical decisions stem from France's overall positive performance over the last 12 years: one world cup, one runner's up, and a European cup.  This is also punctuated with some lows, such as an early exit from the 2002 World Cup, and a lackluster performance at the Euro 2008.  In short, France has built up a reputation as a major force, and this reputation has been called into question both during the World Cup qualifiers and the tournament.  France is not the only nation to suffer from this condition, but it is the one most noted.

I am personally delighted to see the underdogs challenge the big boys in the playground.  It is irritating, if not downright infuriating, to read articles and listen to sports pundits deriding the "lesser" footballing nations, as though only the Europeans and the South Americans were capable.  Well, who laughs last laughs best, and England, France, Italy, and Germany are not laughing now.

First Round Assessment: Goal Scoring

The very last game of the first round has just been played.  As scoring goals is the best way to win, let's start with that.  So far, there have been a low number of goals scored, 27 in 16 games; 1.69 per game.  Two matches have ended in goal-less draws.  Two games had three or more goals: Germany scored four against Australia, and Brazil and North Korea finished 2-1.  Predictably, Germany and Brazil are already among the higher scoring nations, as well as the Netherlands.  The Korea Republic with two is an early surprise.

What has struck me about these goals is the unusually high number of different players who have made their mark: 27 so far.  Despite all the betting and predictions on who will be the top scorer, so far no one has managed more than one.  It is certainly too early to make any kind of conclusions on the goal scorers; for example, Paolo Rossi, who scored six for Italy's 1982 World Cup team and was the top scorer of the tournament, did not score until they reached the knockout stage.  His hat trick against Brazil is now legend.  What I find so interesting is the great number and variety of players who have scored.  Scoring is not just for forwards anymore. 

There appears to be a trend in the spreading or flattening of goal scoring, certainly on the Italian team.  The top scorer at the 2006 edition was Germany's Miroslav Klose with five.  Italy, the Champions, scored 12, and Germany 14.  These are petty average numbers for the World Cup for past several decades (see Fifa World Cup Stats).  But Italy's top 2006 scorer had two, and there were two of them: Luca Toni and Marco Materazzi, a forward and a defender respectively.  The other times Italy reached the finals, it had scorers at the top, such as Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio and Salvatore Schillaci with five, six goals.  Instead, Italy had scored 12 goals with ten different players.  Truly an assailing force from all sides.  

This should also help to break the catenaccio myth, the tactic with which Italy supposedly has been playing with for decades.  From the World Cup so far, I would say that the rest of the world is using catenaccio, and Italy has gone beyond.  The other traditionally non-scoring roles have begun to step up in attacking roles.  Known world wide for being at the receiving end of Zidane's head butt, Materazzi had already had a national reputation for scoring goals, though a central defender.  He generally puts in around six goals a year for his side; not too shabby for a guy who is supposed to stay rooted in his own defensive area.  There were other defenders were important for Italy that year, such as Fabio Grosso, who procured a penalty kick in the knockout stage, and scored the first goal against Germany in the semifinal; and Zambrotta, who scored against the Ukraine.  (Every Italian forward that played, by the way, had a goal too.)

Getting back to catenaccio, this is one of the reasons why there have been few goals so far.  Catenaccio- the defensive playing style developed in Serie A during the sixties, and for which the rest of the world derided Italy but secretly admired and perfected in unlit, tucked away corners- has become normal tactics.  People have been disappointed with Brazil's somewhat sweated 2-1 victory over North Korea.  Ball possession Brazil 63%, and 26 shots, but if there are eight defenders in the goal area, then the only ways you can score are on set pieces and fast breaks.  And Brazil scored on 2 more-or-less fast breaks- actions moving quickly up the midfield that don't allow the defenders to group and settle in.  North Korea, the "mystery team," had reportedly spent four months practicing behind closed doors; no doubt sprinting and pumping iron judging from their athletic form, and memorizing catenaccio plays.  No attempt whatsoever to play the ball, just 8 defenders in the area and reliance on their very rapid and scrappy forwards to do damage up top.  Sure, they got a goal; so what?  Brazil is not known for its strong defense, but for its champagne football and strong goal scorers.  North Korea played for a goalless draw, and hoped for a goal or two in a fast break.  In all honestly, that's the best they could have done against one of the world's best teams. 

A springy Italy dominated against Paraguay, but with it was impossible to shoot past the red and white blockade.  Italy nearly scored on several fast breaks: three or four touches and they had shots on net.  Indeed, they finally scored off a set piece: a corner kick tapped in by defensive midfielder Daniele De Rossi.  When catenaccio forces the hand (or in this case, foot), that's how you get past it: fast breaks and set pieces.  

So far, eight defenders have scored in the 2010 World Cup, that is nearly one-third of those scored so far.  Midfielders and forwards figure into the rest.  What this shows us so far is that scoring is not just for forwards anymore.  And, judging from the own goals, it's not limited to the adversaries, either.

Patrizia Panico signs for NJ Sky Blue FC

National team striker Patrizia Panico signed for New Jersey's Sky Blue FC last week.  This is an important moment for Italian women's football.  Panico, 35, has been a fixture on the national team for at least 15 years, and she has always been a top scorer in Serie A.  She has quite a few national titles and Italy Cups under her belt.  She has also participated in the Women's Champions League since its inception nearly a decade ago.  She has the experience and quality to make a significant impact in the WPS.

Panico will be the first Italian to play in the WPS.  I have always wondered why there were no Italians in the WUSA (the first attempt at an American professional women's soccer league) and last year in the WPS.  Italy's national team, while not one of the strongest, is still ranked in the top 15, well above a number of teams that boast players in the WPS, such as Mexico, Finland, Scotland and Nigeria.  While the American summer leagues, such as the W-League and WPSL, have attracted numerous internationls, only Rita Guarino has experience playing in the States.  Guarino is a former national team striker, and played with Panico not only for Le Azzurre, but also for Lazio and Torres.  She played for one season in the W-League on Maryland Pride in 1999.  She scored 6 goals in 6 games for the Pride.  She has since retired from play, but now runs a soccer school in Turin for boys and girls.

I have always wondered why there has been such little interest in Italian players for the profession league.  I think partly because in Italy, national team players usually get a nice deal to play for their clubs.  Many of them attend university, and the clubs are very flexible with training schedules so they can study as well as train.  Guarino, for example, when she played for Lazio, lived in Turin because she attended university there, but trained with a local men's team in Serie C (3rd division).  Idem while she played for Torres, a squad based on the island of Sardinia.  Since Italian women tend to stay in their league, as it is very accommodating to their exigences, they are probably overlooked by international scouts.  While some noted players have played in Serie A, such as Charmaine Hooper (Lazio) and Milena Domingez (Fiammamonza), women's Serie A also does not attract international players like other might.  This too, is certainly a mark against it.  It is considered an amateur league, but we all know that some players make a respectable living, while others practically pay to play.  

It is a very strange situation for women's soccer in Italy.  Despite being the world's "most popular sport," Italians still consider it a game for men.  Women's soccer is viewed as a novelty at best, and an utterly useless and degenerate pastime at worst.  There is a tremendous amount of local homegrown talent however, and it is unfortunate that the women's efforts to play the world's game are ridiculed and stymied by such misogynistic ideas. 

Well, I doubt Panico's move to Sky Blue will be something permanent.  The final match for the WPS is scheduled for September 26, and even if Sky Blue makes it that far, Panico will certainly head back to Italy and sign with another Italian team, as Serie A begins in October.  Who knows, at 35 she may even retire after reaching her goal to play professional football.  

I think she will fit right in with Sky Blue.  She is in top form as she is playing for the Italy Cup at the moment.  She just needs to learn to play with her new team mates.  Hopefully she will mesh as well and as quickly as Guarino did.  I will follow her performance in WPS with great interest and enthusiasm.  She will help change the world's view of Italian women's football for the better.

England's squad announced; optimism unfounded.

In England, the build-ups to international tournaments -- at least, ones for which we've qualified -- have a familiar pattern. The players and management make bullish statements about how good our chances are this year; sections of the media amplify the sentiment; unpromising displays in warm-up games are dismissed as meaningless; the population starts to believe it all; and everything is ready for a deflationary, lucky win against some minnow of the world game in the first group-stage match.

This year is no different, and so the announcement of Capello's squad yesterday didn't provide the corrective to the national mood that it probably should have done. When Capello took the job, he was lauded for his blunt statement that no player unfit or out of form would be part of his squads. This bold and entirely sensible stance seems to have been forgotten somewhere along the line. The selection of several crocks, coupled with (and forced by) a lack of international class in some positions, indicate that England will be lucky to do better than their customary quarter-final exit on penalties.

Goalkeepers
David James (Portsmouth); Robert Green (West Ham); Joe Hart (Man City)

Nobody is sure who Capello will go with as number one. Perhaps he doesn't yet know himself. David James is the most senior keeper, but has never lost his knack of doing utterly stupid things with depressing regularity. Of the other contenders, Green stops shots well but tends not to dominate his area, and Hart is utterly untried at high level. In this position, England struggle to find a solution.

Defenders
Jamie Carragher (Liverpool); Ashley Cole (Chelsea); Rio Ferdinand (Man United); Glen Johnson (Liverpool); Ledley King (Tottenham); John Terry (Chelsea); Matthew Upson (West Ham); Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

A few years ago, centre-half seemed to be England's strongest position. Now... oh, dear. Capello's first-choice pairing is Ferdinand, who has missed half the season with chronic back trouble, and Terry, who has spent most of the season looking very shaky, and recently developed a worrying propensity for making 'robust' challenges that are likely to see him off the field early. In reserve, we have, first, Jamie Carragher, coaxed out of international retirement owing to his versatility -- he's equally slow, clumsy, and unsuitably physical at right-back or centre-half. Second, Ledley King, who is a wonderful defender but can't usually play more than one game a week owing to serious knee problems. Finally, Matthew Upson is nothing if not ordinary.

As for the full-backs, Ashley Cole is a genuinely great left-back. On the right, Glen Johnson is excellent attacking, but consistently dozy in defence. Backing them up, Stephen Warnock has played in one international and a handful of Champion's League games. He may do fine if called upon, but can't come close to Cole.

Midfield
Gareth Barry (Man City); Michael Carrick (Man United); Joe Cole (Chelsea); Stephen Gerrard (Liverpool); Frank Lampard (Chelsea); Aaron Lennon (Tottenham); James Milner (Aston Villa); Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man City).

Lampard has had an excellent season and belongs on a world stage; Milner has been a revelation in central midfield and deserves his place. The rest present worries. Cole and Lennon have only recently returned to full fitness following long lay-offs, and though they look quite sharp, it's hardly an ideal build-up to the tournament. Barry is still injured, and will most likely not be ready until England's second game. In the past, taking players carrying injuries to the World Cup has worked out very badly for England, and it would be no surprise if it did so here too.

Carrick, Wright-Phillips, and Gerrard have all had seasons ranging from the disappointing to the dreadful. The latter, at least, has retained his club manager's trust, but has become mired in Liverpool's sticky, slow decline. International football may revive him; it also may not. Carrick and Wright-Phillips have spent most of the season as subs, or not even in squads, and neither has looked good when given a chance. The suspicion is that they're both just not good enough at this level.

As a whole, the England midfield selection displays the apparently interminable dearth of natural left-footers in the country, and it's hard to see how a balanced, cohesive, tactically aware unit capable of troubling the best midfields in the world is going to be forged from this lot.

Forwards
Peter Crouch (Tottenham); Jermain Defoe (Tottenham); Emile Heskey (Aston Villa); Wayne Rooney (Man United).

Rooney is England's principal attacking force by far, and it's vital that he keeps his temper under control. He's much better at that now, and if stays on the field, he can win games on his own.

Of the others, though, there are doubts. Crouch and Defoe have never quite seemed to work as foils for Rooney. Crouch has scored lots of international goals, but mainly against poor teams. Defoe hasn't even got that going for him, and consistently looks a touch short of class. As for Heskey, his selection was predictable; he really does seem to bring out Rooney's best. However, he is another player who's spent most of the season out of favour at his club, only starting games when other players are unavailable.

Now, all this could work to England's advantage. The players returning from injury, or coming off seasons spent doing nothing much on the sidelines, may be fresher than they would have been had they been fit all season. Those who've been lacklustre at their clubs may rediscover their shine in South Africa. And those who look just not good enough to play with the very best may manage to up their game in the company of those -- A Cole, Lampard, Rooney -- who really do deserve the international stage. But that's a lot of ifs. England are joint-third favourites on the most popular betting exchanges. My punt would be on the usual -- out in the quarters with a hard-luck story to paper over the cracks.

Euro 2016: France is the Best Choice

   
France, Italy, Turkey: the three candidates for hosting the Euro 2016.  Many Italians are outraged that Italy received the least amount of votes, and mutter that Michel Platini influenced the choice; but out of the three possibilities, I believe that France is the best choice.  Although a part of me wanted to see it go to Turkey- a nation that has never hosted the competition, a nation who's football has been up and coming over the past decade- another part of me is relieved that it didn't go there, as Turkey does not uphold those certain human rights that keep it out of the European Union.  This is purely political reasoning, but political motivations figure into making decisions. 

  

  Italians should not be surprised that that they got the least amount of votes.  For years, the Italian football world has deplored its own state: corrupt managers, dodgy refereeing, betting scandals, false passports, out-of-date stadiums, fan violence.  These last two issues in particular illustrate why France is hosting the 2016 Euro and not Italy.  While I do not follow French and Turkish soccer as closely as the Italian league, I can't recall any significant problems with fans and stadiums in these two countries.  While Turkish fans have a reputation of being occasionally violent, nothing as grave as the more recent incidents in Italy (fans and a police officer killed in rioting and clashes) have happened.  If the Italians bemoan the state of their national sport, how can they expect the rest of the football world to disagree?

  

  Italians really need to prove that they can host a safe and brilliant Euro tournament.  Safety is a top priority, yet two years after those deadly clashes, the Italian Federation is still trying to figure out how to make the stadiums safer, such as introducing the fan identity card.  This is a strategy that has worked brilliantly in England to rein in the Hooligans, infamous world-wide for their violence.  England's violent fan reputation is now a thing of history.  Yet in Italy, many still balk at the idea of fans having to carry a card (i.e. Daniele De Rossi's recent statements against this policy).  They believe it is a conspiracy, a Big Brother way of keeping tabs on the average Joe.  If that is so, then why haven't civil liberties in England been curtailed?

  

Stadiums are another important issue.  Over the past decade, Italians have expressed more and more dissatisfaction over their current state in Italy.  Many stadiums still have barriers that separate the fans from the field and from each other.  Many also are "Olympic" stadiums: they are multi-functional, mostly for track and field competitions, and have a track that goes around the pitch.  This forces the stands to be build even further away from the sidelines and significantly lowers the overall quality of viewing.  England and France have done away with this type of stadium.

  France is the best choice.  It has excellent stadiums, and its fans do not have a notorious record, either domestically or internationally.  Italy, on the other hand, is the exact opposite.  Turkey also would have been a good choice, but I would like to see them host the European Cup when they get their human rights issues straightened out and enter into the European Union.