As I write this fireside commentary, political Italy is in crisis, Forza Italia takes 3 percent in Trentino (The end of the Berlusconian myth? “I don't think so,” would say a Razzi terrified by such a loss...) while the Renzi government is teetering under the ‘STRIKES’ (so to speak...) of his own party's minority, the ‘MARKET’ is watching us on sight and asking us for sacrifices without which it will not renew its trust and will leave us, naked, with one hand in front and one behind...
And in all this dramatic bailamme, what do they do in football players to whom a possible very limited levy has been ventilated?!
THEY STRIKE !!!!
The country is holding its breath.... (Not because of the spread, who cares, Italians seem to be saying, but because of the thought “But what will I do on Sunday, without my team on the field?!”).
Twenty million Italians addicted to soccer, accustomed since birth to following “the team of their heart,” some at the stadium, some in front of Sky, some glued to their earphones or cell phones (they are the ones forced by their wives to the tragic Sunday outing out of town...), seem like wasps gone mad...
And what will their return to the office or factory be like on the Monday following the strike?
It's a real drama, even Marcegaglia is worried, fearing a drop in production because of the low morale of the Italic employees...
Someone proposes the precepting of these figures (it is done for air traffic controllers, a far less important category than footballers, why not?!), someone, more enraged and/or nostalgic, thinks of the reinstatement of the death penalty...
Personally, I, who am not a soccer fan at all, would have my proposal:
1) Teams should be composed exclusively of NON-PROFESSIONAL players born in that province or residing there for at least 5 or 10 years.
2) No salary, when you win there is paid pizza for everyone (including water but excluding alcohol..), when you lose nisba (they wouldn't feel like eating anyway, they lost...).
That way in Bologna people would cheer for electrician Nanni in goal, salumiere Montanari in attack and the very strong Romagnoli (municipal employee, he has nothing else to do but train, that's why he's so strong!!! ) in the midfield, while in Naples the halfback would make Scognamiglio and the fullback Scapece and the formidable attacking pair Cirillo and Donnarumma, things of our house, everything would be more genuine and exhilarating, the cheering would be more heartfelt (the leghists, then, satisfied to the max...) and there would be no discussions about their emoluments (ZERO WERE AND ZERO REMAIN, EVERYTHING SIMPLER, AND CLEANER).
The only ones who would lose out would be the showgirls, who would have to change the job category in which to fish for their, moneyed and possibly bratty, Prince Charming....
But since I realize that my peroration will never be heard, I go to option B:
Spend Sunday in peace, sprawled out on the sofa in front of a nice fireplace like this one, which, by the way, will cost you less than a season ticket to the Meazza stadium!!!
ANTIQUE ART DECO STYLE MARBLE BOIS JOURDAN FIREPLACE, ORIGINAL PROVENANCE, PERFECTLY PRESERVED, ALSO PROVIDED WITH ORIGINAL MARBLE FLOOR (clearly visible, juxtaposed to the fireplace, in the photograph above right) IN THE SAME MARBLE AND WITH TWO BLACK MARQUINIA MARBLE INSERTS.
