When Soccer meets Cultures: he's expect to recover in a few minutes!
"Italy-Germany: 4-3". Well, actually the game has to be played yet. In fact Italy vs. Germany is the first semifinal of the soccer world cup.
But it's not about soccer... not anymore. "Italy-Germany: 4-3" was a memorable match played in the semifinal of the world cup in 1970. And when I say memorable I really mean it, if you consider I was born only 9 years later. It's not just an unforgettable story of soccer: in fact Italy will lose the final with Brazil. But I believe behind that game there is a spirit, a sum of emotions, a culture that make Italy the country it is: loud, passionate, at times proud... "Italy-Germany: 4-3" is now an expression in the Italian language, an expression that goes over the soccer vocabulary: it means the ability of coming back, never giving up. It means something big, a great achievement...
Well, that semifinal eventually didn't bring much luck to Italy, and that's why rather then mentioning this event, Italians prefer to stick to a bit more recent and lucky fact: the previous world cup match between the two teams happened when i was 3 years old: final of the world cup in Spain, 1982, when Italy won 3-1... Therefore the word revenge may be used by the press, teams and peoples of both sides... one side with hope, the other with fear!
What makes me reflect a lot is how a different point of view can change things: Germans have no clue of the meaning "Italy-Germany: 4-3" has for Italians.
Yeah, well... soccer, as most of the things in life probably, is so much influenced by your point of view.
Italy has recently beaten Australia in the Round of 16th. How?! A penalty... when? The very last 5 seconds of the game!
Who played better?! Was the penalty deserved?!.. Well, who do you wanna ask?!
Never in my life I have been told "you are so brave" so many times in such a short timeframe: entering the Australian pub in Bondi a few minutes before the match, waving high my small flag and singing loud the Italian national anthem gave almost everyone the opportunity to spot their target: me!
I tell you, it's much more than just soccer: Australian are extremely friendly people, no doubt... and I never felt in danger... oh well, I did, but I also knew someone would have helped me!!
Here it's a matter of national pride: the Australian team getting out the world cup so badly and with so much passionate the team and the people had put into this world cup.
But... I'm Italian: what would you do?! In a sport competition nothing can get better than your team beating your host's team: no matter how much I like Australia and Australians, and that's a good deal, but my roots, my culture, my everything is 100% Italians.
On top of that add the fact (yes, is pretty much a fact!) that I can be one of the most annoying person you can meet when it comes to such kind of situation.
To make a long story short: I enjoyed that night, hugging strangers and arguing with them... I enjoyed to be back in the office and start receiving (i still wonder if it will ever finish) photos, PowerPoints, jokes, comments of any kind about the way Italy eventually won the game with Australia...
Would I do it again?!
Thursday morning 5am is Germany-Italy... what a better place to watch it than the famous German pub in Sydney: full of people, among whom I do not expect many Australians!!
Soccer and cultures, what a great mix... I'm enjoying it so much!
In the belief that self-irony really is a good quality, let me be fair to my Australian mates and share this joke I found hilarious:
"An Australian man has been arrested in Italy for an assault on a local man after the World Cup Soccer Match between Australia and Italy.
Witnesses say that the Australian was 20 metres away when the incident happened.
The victim suffered a fractured skull, a cardiac arrest and has developed diabetes as a result of the attack.
He is expected to recover in a few minutes."
But it's not about soccer... not anymore. "Italy-Germany: 4-3" was a memorable match played in the semifinal of the world cup in 1970. And when I say memorable I really mean it, if you consider I was born only 9 years later. It's not just an unforgettable story of soccer: in fact Italy will lose the final with Brazil. But I believe behind that game there is a spirit, a sum of emotions, a culture that make Italy the country it is: loud, passionate, at times proud... "Italy-Germany: 4-3" is now an expression in the Italian language, an expression that goes over the soccer vocabulary: it means the ability of coming back, never giving up. It means something big, a great achievement...
Well, that semifinal eventually didn't bring much luck to Italy, and that's why rather then mentioning this event, Italians prefer to stick to a bit more recent and lucky fact: the previous world cup match between the two teams happened when i was 3 years old: final of the world cup in Spain, 1982, when Italy won 3-1... Therefore the word revenge may be used by the press, teams and peoples of both sides... one side with hope, the other with fear!
What makes me reflect a lot is how a different point of view can change things: Germans have no clue of the meaning "Italy-Germany: 4-3" has for Italians.
Yeah, well... soccer, as most of the things in life probably, is so much influenced by your point of view.
Italy has recently beaten Australia in the Round of 16th. How?! A penalty... when? The very last 5 seconds of the game!
Who played better?! Was the penalty deserved?!.. Well, who do you wanna ask?!
Never in my life I have been told "you are so brave" so many times in such a short timeframe: entering the Australian pub in Bondi a few minutes before the match, waving high my small flag and singing loud the Italian national anthem gave almost everyone the opportunity to spot their target: me!
I tell you, it's much more than just soccer: Australian are extremely friendly people, no doubt... and I never felt in danger... oh well, I did, but I also knew someone would have helped me!!
Here it's a matter of national pride: the Australian team getting out the world cup so badly and with so much passionate the team and the people had put into this world cup.
But... I'm Italian: what would you do?! In a sport competition nothing can get better than your team beating your host's team: no matter how much I like Australia and Australians, and that's a good deal, but my roots, my culture, my everything is 100% Italians.
On top of that add the fact (yes, is pretty much a fact!) that I can be one of the most annoying person you can meet when it comes to such kind of situation.
To make a long story short: I enjoyed that night, hugging strangers and arguing with them... I enjoyed to be back in the office and start receiving (i still wonder if it will ever finish) photos, PowerPoints, jokes, comments of any kind about the way Italy eventually won the game with Australia...
Would I do it again?!
Thursday morning 5am is Germany-Italy... what a better place to watch it than the famous German pub in Sydney: full of people, among whom I do not expect many Australians!!
Soccer and cultures, what a great mix... I'm enjoying it so much!
In the belief that self-irony really is a good quality, let me be fair to my Australian mates and share this joke I found hilarious:
"An Australian man has been arrested in Italy for an assault on a local man after the World Cup Soccer Match between Australia and Italy.
Witnesses say that the Australian was 20 metres away when the incident happened.
The victim suffered a fractured skull, a cardiac arrest and has developed diabetes as a result of the attack.
He is expected to recover in a few minutes."
6 Comments:
augusto my brother,forza italia!:)
a good thrashing delivered to ukraine, undoubtedly a lesser opponent then australia but i wont get into italy's winning mechanism from that match!
glad to c u are doing so well. i get a smile on my face when i think of just how 'annoying' you can be....i certainly agree and feel for your australian mates....
take care and keep in touch
By chitgo, At 8:22 AM
Salve! Italy was my "host country" for six years, including the unfortunate one in which Baggio missed his penalty (you're old enough to remember THAT one!)
I've been an Italian fan ever since. At work I am surrounded by Australians (though I live in the Netherlands now) and the grapes have been very very sour lateley.
I hear: "CHEATING!" "I don't mind losing fair and square, but I don't want to lose to unfair play."
Maybe I lived in Italy too long, but to me the art of winning a penalty decision, even undeserved, is simply part of the game. Football is a game of perception -- fooling the goalie about which way you are going to strike, deceiving a defender about which way you are going to run, it's part of what it's all about.
--b
By Brian, At 11:19 AM
Augusto, sei in Australia adesso?? non lo posso credere, hai fatto il giro del mondo allora !??? congrats buddy !!!
Ho trovato il tuo blog su nomadlife... che sorpresa!
Very nice post, keep it up and cheer for Italy in that German pub and have a pint for me (even though I would love to see them play more offense and a less conservative football)
Forza Italia anyways...
A.
Once upon a time Vpp eletto AIESEC Italia
By A., At 3:37 AM
Spero che tutto andra' bene martedi.....
lo spero veramente.......
DAI AZZURRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII...FACCI SOGNARE!
By Maria, At 9:21 AM
Hey!!!
Congrats! The match of Germany-Italy is just over! :))
So guess right now U're running around and keep on hugging people even harder! ;))
:)))))))))))
Take care!
Hugs from Mexico
Tasha
xxxx
By Anonymous, At 11:39 PM
Ci siamo riusciti!!!!
un bacione grosso.....
Maria
By Maria, At 1:10 AM
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