The Local

Italy's football players association expressed satisfaction on Friday at a govement decision not to extend a tax relief measure benefiting foreign players on Italian teams. , ...ادامه مطلب

Police stand guard at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome during Lazio's match against Eintracht Frankfurt. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP Italian police on Thursday arrested five Eintracht Frankfurt fans afte, ...ادامه مطلب

Carlo Tavecchio resigned in November. PHOTO: ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP The head of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) has called for Monday's vote to elect a new president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to be postponed for three months. CONI president Giovanni Malago believes the conditions are not right to elect a successor to Carlo Tavecchio, who resigned after Italy's World Cup qualifying fiasco last November which meant the four-time champions miss the finals for the first time in 60 years.   Three candidates are expected to go forward at Monday's vote before the FIGC general assembly in Rome -- Amateur League president Cosimo Sibilia, Lega Pro (third division) chief Gabriele Gravina and Damiano Tommasi head of the Italian Players' Union.   "I hope that there is an awareness on the part of the three candidates so that the election does not take place, I wish it as do 90 percent of Italians," Malago said in quotes in the Italian media.   "For now the assembly is convened. But the candidates have acknowledged the difficulties and are considering with their supporters the path to take," said Malago, adding that if the vote went ahead it was , ...ادامه مطلب

Juventus FC is the subject of a new Netflix documentary. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFPGianluigi Buffon will be among the Juventus players to star in a fly-on-the-wall documentary series on Netflix from February 16th, the reigning Serie A champions confirmed on Monday. 'First team: Juventus FC', the original docu-series about the Italian giants, will consist of three episodes following the club's key players on and off the field. "You'll go on the road, deep inside Allianz Stadium and around Turin to capture the players' lives in depth while following the twists and tus of another enthralling season," the team said in a statement. "Through over four months of shooting, you'll get up close and personal with Bianconeri like Gianluigi Buffon, Federico Beardeschi, Giorgio Chiellini, Douglas Costa, Gonzalo Higuain, Claudio Marchisio, Miralem Pjanic, Daniele Rugani, and manager Massimiliano Allegri as well as Bianconeri legends like Alessandro Del Piero." The American online entertainment service were handed access to Juventus players for the current season, with the documentary set to show Serie A matches, action from the training pitch and a behind-the-scenes look inside Allegri's dressi, ...ادامه مطلب

Italy players after Sweden knocked them out of the World Cup play-offs. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFPOutgoing Italian football federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio said on Wednesday he did not expect a new coach to be appointed before next June. Italy have been without a coach since Giampiero Ventura was sacked after the four-time champions failed to qualify for the World Cup finals last November. Tavecchio was forced to resign as FIGC chief but will remain in charge until his successor is elected later this month. "I'm in charge until January 29th, and I don't think that by that date there will be the new national team coach," the 74-year-old said on the sidelines of the presentation of the new 2017-2018 Panini Collection in Milan. "I won't be the one that chooses the new coach. I can also tell you that the best coaches are under contract until June. It's difficult for the new coach to be appointed before then." Among the names being touted are Zenit Saint-Petersburg's Roberto Mancini, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and former Baye Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti. Under-21 coach Luigi Di Biagio will oversee Italy's friendlies against England and Argentina while the country awaits , ...ادامه مطلب

Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFPSerie A club Cagliari will not be punished for racist chanting by their fans against Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi, the Italian league said on Tuesday. Matuidi revealed after Juve's 1-0 win in Sardinia on Saturday that he had been the subject of racist chanting, with Cagliari issuing an apology to the 30-year-old French player the following day. But Lega Serie A's disciplinary report released on Tuesday found that "no determination can be made with regard to Cagliari for the deplorable expressions of racial discrimination of which Juventus player Blaise Matuidi reports he was the subject". "No sanction can be brought [because] those expressions were not heard by either the match referee nor by [Italian football federation] FIGC employees, nor filed in the match report." After hearing abuse from the stands Matuidi rushed to referee Giampaolo Calvarese, but the official ignored his pleas to intervene and Medhi Benatia and Paulo Dybala had to calm their teammate down. Matuidi was bo in France to an Angolan father and a Congolese mother. Saturday's abuse follows similar racist chants directed at Matuidi during Juve's 3-, ...ادامه مطلب

Napoli's record goal-scorer Marek Hamsik scored again to keep his side top of Serie A with a 1-0 win at Crotone on Friday as they sealed the symbolic title of Winter Champions. It was the 117th goal in a Napoli shirt for the Slovakian inteational who last week overtook Diego Maradona as the club's all-time leading scorer. Maurizio Sarri's side end 2017 with just one defeat in 19 games, against champions Juventus, who are four points behind ahead of their trip on Saturday to struggling Verona. "It was important to bring home the three points," said Hamsik. "But this title (Winter Champions) means nothing. We were already on the right track three years ago, but we realise it means nothing, as we want to be top at the end of the season." "Statistics mean nothing," continued Sarri, whose side are the only team in Europe's top five leagues who are unbeaten away. "It's a strong run, reaching the Champions League is very important for us, so having 48 points at the midway stage of the season gives us hope," added the coach. With Serie A playing through the Christmas holidays for the first time in nearly 30 years, Napoli's players showed signs of fatigue with Dries Mertens and Lorenzo In, ...ادامه مطلب

After 120 years, Juventus Football Club -- also known as The Old Lady of Turin -- has finally opened its doors to an elite women's team, which is shaking up the world of women's football in Italy. Since September, Rita Guarino's Juventus women have swept aside their rivals with eight wins from eight league games so far, including the last two champions Brescia and Fiorentina. Now Juve look poised to follow the success of their dominant men's team in Serie A.Italian national women's team coach Milena Bertolini sees the arrival of the new team as a sign that things are changing in a sport that is seen as one of the last men's strongholds in Italy."The arrival of Juventus has given a strong impetus to the whole movement," Bertolini told AFP as the national side are also poised to succeed where their men failed and qualify for their first World Cup since 1999. READ ALSO: A nation mous: The saddest reactions to Italy's World Cup flop "We have spoken more about women's football in the last six months since the arrival of Juventus than in the last ten years."Juventus -- winners of a record 33 men's league titles, including the last six, 12 Italian Cups and tw, ...ادامه مطلب

AS Roma players celebrate after making the Champions League final 16. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP Serie A side Roma were given the green light on Tuesday by Italian authorities to build their own stadium which they hope to occupy by the 2020/21 season. The news came on the same night that Roma qualified for the Champions League last 16 top of their group ahead of Chelsea. The club's American president James Pallotta officially launched the project in March 2014 but there were numerous setbacks before the four main goveing bodies involved finally approved plans to build the Stadio della Roma. "I'm delighted because I know what this decision could mean for Rome i, ...ادامه مطلب

Gianluigi Buffon is the Serie A player of the year. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon eased some of his World Cup heartache by winning the Serie A Best Player of the Year award at the Gran Gala del Calcio Awards in Milan. "The failure to participate in the World Cup is the biggest disappointment in my career together with some [lost] Champions League finals," said the 39-year-old Juventus goalkeeper at Monday night's ceremony. "I'm happy and proud. I never thought I'd get this kind of trophy, and I'll hold on tight to it because I've never won best youngster!" Napoli's Maurizio Sarri was named the best coach in the Italian football awards. , ...ادامه مطلب

Gianluigi Buffon takes off his shorts in Turin. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP Footballers usually throw their jersey to fans at the final whistle, but Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon stunned one supporter by giving him his shorts after Wednesd, ...ادامه مطلب

An Italian footballer has been banned for five matches for urinating towards rival fans. He will appeal the decision, his club said on Thursday. Giovanni Liberti, a 21-year-old midfielder who plays for Serie D side FC Turris, has denied , ...ادامه مطلب

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri fears the use of video refereeing is tuing football into a long-drawn out American sports extravaganza after the Serie A champions drew 2-2 at Atalanta. Sunday's game in Bergamo was dominated by the use of VAR - video assistant referee - once to cancel a Mario Mandzukic goal for Juventu, ...ادامه مطلب

Italy's national football team players pictured last year. Photo: AFP The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on Monday unveiled its new logo with four stars representing the country's World Cup triumphs ahead of the 2018 finals in Russia. The Azzurri won the trophy in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 and are second only to Brazil who lead the way with five titles."The FIGC's new visual identity , ...ادامه مطلب

Juventus' Leonardo Bonucci. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFPAC Milan's Leonardo Bonucci and former Juventus teammate Gonzalo Higuain are the top Serie A eaers but their wages fall short of European stars Neymar and Lionel Messi, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported. Italy defender Bonucci, 30, and Argentina striker Higuain, 29, both pocket an estimated 7.5 million euros ($8.9 million) annually, the It, ...ادامه مطلب