Like Inspector Auricchio

frafiomatale (78)in #sports • 2 days ago

This is the English version of the post Come il commissario Auricchio, originally published in Italian in the ITALY community.

I’m almost certain of it: as a man of the cinema and the old fox that he is, when the president of Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis, came out with his outburst the other day about a European super league, he must have thought back for a moment to the legendary ‘pass’ scene from the film Fracchia la belva umana.

In it, several law enforcement officers – including the Police, Carabinieri and Digos – rack their brains in search of a solution to ensure the free movement of the good Gian Domenico Fracchia, whose only crime is that he bears an uncanny resemblance to a notorious criminal, known by the nickname ‘The Human Beast’.

After a few moments, the beleaguered De Simone takes the floor and presents his solution to the group: to issue poor Fracchia with a pass to be shown at any future checks, so as to prove his innocence regarding the bandit. The idea is unanimously rejected by everyone, until, a few seconds later, Commissioner Auricchio (masterfully played by Lino Banfi) comes up with a brainwave: “We could issue a pass!”

Exactly the same solution proposed moments earlier by his assistant, which this time, however, is applauded by everyone and becomes the centrepiece of the rest of the film. A scene of great comic effect, which nevertheless conceals a veiled criticism of modern society, prone to accepting or rejecting an idea or innovation based more on who proposes it than on its actual usefulness.

Situations that are more common than one might think, even in real life, and which I too have experienced first-hand in one of my previous jobs when, after seeing a series of improvements I had proposed rejected by the ‘boss’, they were introduced almost word for word a few months later, at the suggestion of his son.

And let’s go back to the beginning, because, as mentioned, this amusing situation repeated itself exactly a few hours ago, when the world learned of the comments made by the Neapolitan boss himself to the sports newspaper The Athletic, owned by the New York Times group.

In his interview, De Laurentiis explained how, in order to survive for future generations, football needs regulatory innovations that keep interest high, such as the introduction of actual playing time and ‘time-based’ cards in the style of ice hockey or the Kings League.

But the real gem came when he spoke about the format of the national leagues, which he considers obsolete and replaceable by a single major European tournament, comprising the top teams from each of the continent’s top five leagues. Not a ‘Super League’, he was keen to point out with his usual brazenness, but a ‘Super Championship’. It’s like saying, not a bowl of soup, but a bowl of pasta in broth.

And take note, because whilst the revamped Super League envisaged a promotion and relegation system, in De Laurentiis’s vision the participating teams must always remain the same, by virtue of acquired nobility (for Italy: Juventus, Inter, Milan, Roma and Napoli).

Logically, one would have expected the same furious reactions from the press or from clubs such as ** Atalanta**, which has been a regular in the top spots for years, or Como, which has been challenging at the top of Italian football for a few seasons now, as De Laurentiis’s plan would effectively exclude them; yet, unlike what happened in his day with Agnelli (video below), nobody has uttered a word.

In fact, the first words of praise have even begun to emerge from those who, just a few months ago, regarded the Super League as the death knell of football (we recall the tale of the provincial boy’s shattered dream) and are now ready to fight to ensure the idea takes shape and becomes a reality.

This situation, which, as mentioned, oozes comedy from every pore, unfortunately also reflects the current state of Italian football, ready to fight to the death against an enlightened manager like Andrea Agnelli, purely out of envy or sheer sporting hatred, despite the fact that his ideas were intended to benefit the entire sport.

In short, the pattern is always the same: an idea from Turin is terrible, one from Rome or Naples is commendable, and one from the Inter side of Milan is even worthy of praise. And in the meantime, we’ve missed out on the World Cup for the third time in a row, still wondering why.