Whistles, squeakers and blowers

frafiomatale (78)in #sports • 3 hours ago

This is the English version of the post Fischi, fischietti e fischioni, originally published in Italian in the ITALY community.

https://steemit.com/italy/@frafiomatale/fischi-fischietti-e-fischioni

From Norway to Salento. That is the route traveled over the last three days by Inter to fulfill its commitments in competitions such as the Champions League and the domestic league. Over 4,000 kilometers and two completely different locations, from geographical, environmental, scenic, and sporting perspectives.

Yet Bodø and Lecce showed football fans around the world an incredible common trait: intolerance toward the presence on the pitch of Alessandro Bastoni, the Inter defender guilty of blatantly simulating during the match at San Siro between his team and Juventus.

From north of the Arctic Circle to the south of Italy, supporters seem to agree on one fundamental point: there should be no room in football for people like Bastoni. Deafening whistles accompanied every touch by the Nerazzurri defender, and the same scenario will likely repeat itself in every stadium where he sets foot to kick a ball.

Some rumors suggest that for the twenty-eighth matchday derby, Milan fans are organizing a large choreography centered precisely on the unsporting conduct embodied in Bastoni’s gesture and, more broadly, in the colors of Inter.

In short, in Italian stadiums and among various supporter groups, a “popular sentiment” of indignation and rejection is growing, directed primarily at the Nerazzurri defender and secondarily at the shirt he represents. A sort of re-edition of what happened with Calciopoli, but with a profound difference: this time it has not been fueled by the press or partisan narratives, but has arisen spontaneously on the wave of established and incontrovertible facts.

But rest assured, although some similarities can be seen (and in my modest opinion there would be a thousand justified reasons), a new Calciopoli does not seem to be on the horizon. This time institutional power is entirely aligned with the “enemies” of the footballing people, as is the media. Did you hear how the Dazn studio (previous video) disgracefully pretended to be surprised by the whistles at the Via del Mare?

Previously, the general narrative was that Juventus stole and that the public and courageous outlets had helped bring the wrongdoing of the Moggi system to light. Now the issue is substantially different: everyone has understood which way the wind is blowing, but those running the show, also thanks to the support/blackmail of organized crime, are not in the least interested in change.

So what will happen to the “poor” Bastoni? Is it possible that people have not noticed his repentance and have not even accepted the apology delivered worldwide? Well, first of all, it is hard to accept the apology of someone who, in reality, never truly apologized for an ignoble act toward a colleague, but merely expressed a vague feeling of regret.

Secondly, it is even harder to believe in the good faith of someone who, between unseen elbows and dives, instead of trying to clean up his image, adds yet another act of unsporting behavior to his sporting record: in the 88th minute of the match against Lecce, Bastoni deliberately earned himself a yellow card in order to be suspended (he was one booking away) for the next game and avoid risking absence in the derby the following week.

Once again, everyone saw it — but no one can do anything about it.