2006 WC final had about 700-800 million viewers. I heard the 2002 WC final had anywhere from 900 mil to 1.3 billion viewers (not sure on validity). Don't know numbers on 1998 WC final.
And this is why your generation will never get it and I will not waste anytime trying to explain this to ignorant Italians. I was young, but not stupid...and I found out more over the years and seeing Italy this days, it is not hard to believe. If you don't like what I have put here, you are more then welcome to report me or simply don't post. Why do you keep postin on things I have shown proof of simply is mind-boogling....
You don't have to explain to me something that I lived in first person, as long as I like other compatriots knows very well what was the feeling toward Maradona, much then you could ever dream of. Here the only ignorant is you, who think that just having a watch of a damned 20 years old match could explain something that we have lived and that was very clear at that time. Last thing, here the definition of racism: hatred or intolerance of another race or other races. Now let me guess, Maradona is a typical american surname right? So we were racist toward ourselves? Bah, piss off, you're a tool.
You were there, therefore your assessment is correct? I don't think that's a particularly fair or reasonable argument. Oh, and cut out the personal attacks. That goes for everyone.
LOL Ignorant, what makes you think I am even American? Juventus...that explains a lot. What was uglier in Italy 1990, much more then the disastrous final, much more then the amount of low-leveled teams, much more then the bad records that Cup achieved, was the Italians trying to hide the racism felt for the South, especially Napoli, as if no one will ever notice. Does this sound familiar? Que mal olor, Hasta los perros huyen, Los napolitanos están llegando. Oh colerosos terremotados, Con jabón jamás lavados. Nápoles ************, Nápoles cólera, Eres la vergüenza de toda Italia. Nicknames of Maradona by Northern Italians 1- terrone (cabecita negra) 2- “Jamón con Rulos” A common way for any Northern team to greet Napoli and any southern team that plays in the North: 1- “ Napolitanos, bienvenidos a Italia ” 2- “ Vesubio, (referring to the volcanoe in Italy that nearly wiped it our of the world) contamos contigo ” Some quotes during the World Cup: “ Maradona une a Nápoles y la divide del resto de Italia ”. A quote by the Italian newspapare "Il Matino" “ El único placer de ésta tarde fue descubrir que, gracias a mí, los italianos de Milán dejaron de ser racistas. Al fin toleraron a los africanos .” Diego Maradona's half-joke after the loss to Cameroon. “ Nos dimos cuenta que el público iba a ser hostil desde el primer día en que llegamos a Italia. En la calle se palpaba la antipatía de los italianos...la agresividad se repetía cada vez que jugábamos en el norte. Sólo pudimos sentirnos locales en Nápoles. Como profesional, uno, dentro de la cancha, trata de obviar ese detalle, pero en éste caso era algo especial. Había un rechazo muy llamativo, quizá debido a lo de Diego...por el hecho de haber sacado campeón a un equipo del sur, aunque, la verdad, fue mucho más fuerte de lo que preveíamos ...” Juan Simon after the loss to Cameroon “... me disgusta que ahora les pidan a los napolitanos que sean italianos y que alienten a la selección. Nápoles fue marginada por el resto de Italia. La han condenado al racismo más injusto...el norte los desprecia, no los considera como parte de Italia. ¿Van a alentar a los que los consideran extranjeros en su propio país o me van a apoyar a mí que soy uno de ustedes?...”. Diego Maradona before facing Italy “ Haremos fuerza para que gane Italia, pero respetando y aplaudiendo a los argentinos ”. Genaro Mutori, aka Palumbella, Head of the Napoli FC team, before the semifinal against Argentina. "... Yo no había intentado una sublevación de los napolitanos contra el resto de los italianos, cuando jugamos allá, porque yo sí sabía y sentía que los napolitanos eran italianos también... Pero eran los otros italianos, los que no vivían en Nápoles, los que no querían enterarse, los que no querían aceptarlo: solo aquel día, el día del partido, se dieron cuenta de que los napolitanos también pertenecían a Italia y podían ayudar a la selección... Yo sabía muy bien lo que nos ocurría cuando íbamos a jugar de visitantes, aquellos carteles de "Bienvenidos a Italia", "Lavatevi", "Terroni". ¿Por qué quería esconder aquel racismo?, ¿por qué no lo iba a recordar justo en el momento en los italianos, por interés, querían agregar a Nápoles en su mapa?. Jamás pretendí que hincharan por mí, jamás... Pero me querían, me querían tanto, que la Curva B gritó mi gol de penal contra Italia, lo gritó. Porque argentinos no había tantos y el grito yo lo escuché... El problema es que lo escucharon todos, todos... Y no me lo perdonaron ". Diego Maradona, after eliminating the host nation. “... lo único que oscurece éste triunfo es la tristeza de ellos. Pero le demostraron al mundo que son lo mejor de Italia ...” Diego Maradona, after eliminating Italy. " Nos creíamos los mejores y la cancha nos desmintió. Nos falta el conductor y ellos tienen al mejor " Corriere dello Sport, Italian newspaper, after the loss.
I wouldn't have thought coming last in their group in the second round in 1982 counts as being "super close" to winning.
they were well beaten in both matches as well if i remember correctly. they tried to mix it with italy in the first game and failed before being outclassed by brazil.
If you have never lived here you can say nothing about this subject, period. For your information, my mom is from Bari my dad from Bergamo, how should i call people from the south? Lighten me please, mr. know it all. Thank you, but i can't read spanish.
Three people thinking irrationally still aren't any more likely to be right than one. In fact, there are many well documented studies that show the power of group psychology to make an otherwise reasonable person believe things which simply aren't true. But whatever. I don't have a horse in this race. I'm just calling you out for having a lame argument. Again, in fact. And while you're at it, please stop with the Appeal to Authority fallacy ("If you have never lived here you can say nothing about this subject, period.")? That's complete garbage. Besides, for all we know you're a 14yo brat from New Jersey.
What happened was described as a seizure. It may have been a result of injections given to Ronaldo to numb the pain (his knee was not 100% at the time). I think, but I'm not sure, that is the accepted explanation for the seizure. Ronaldo was taken to the hospital. Roberto Carlos witnessed the seizure itself and was freaked out by it. Ronaldo was cleared by hospital staff - all tests to determine the cause of the seizure were negative. Brazil's medical staff could find nothing wrong with him but advised against him playing. The coaching staff simply asked if he was ok to play and when he said yes they reinstated him on the starting lineup. Brazil was already psychologically affected by the incident and added to the fact that France had a strong team and Brazil had had other internal problems, it was more than enough to make Brazil look impotent. I thought this was myth-busters, not conspiracy-theory-makers.
This is the first I've ever heard of that - it sounds like you're mixing up the suicide stories in your mind and assuming they were about players. There was never, as far as I know, any widespread myth about a player committing suicide. No reason to disbelieve it - I've heard it before but the source is Pele himself so far as I know.
I was talking about Italy 1990, not Spain 1982. If Argentina would have won in 1990, it would be like this: 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990 = Argentina 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 = Brazil The same as Brazil except instead of winning two back-to-back World Cups, failing to win the next, and then win the fourth one, it would have been the exact opposite of it.
It is mythbusters. I apologize for getting off topic so here we go... A few pages ago, someone requested that I see the 1974 World Cup finals to put to end many of the myths that we have heard. Anyone has a link or a download to that game? Also this games were requested to me on email: 1966 FIFA World Cup final (England vs West Germany) 1970 FIFA World Cup quaterfinal (England vs West Germany) 1978 FIFA World Cup second group round (Argentina vs Peru) 1982 FIFA World Cup first round (France vs Kuwait) 1982 FIFA World Cup first round (West Germany vs Austria) 1990 FIFA World Cup first round (Argentina vs Cameroon) I am about to watch Argentina vs Cameroon in a few hours. Anyone has any links to any of the other games?
I can't help, but to rebuttal all those lies, irrational my ass. Were you here to say anything on this? Stop being a jerk while infact you don't know nothing, garbage my ass, i can't stand someone who live 10000 km away from here who tell me how were (and how are) things in those times, HERE. First of all, one sentence for a relaxing start by Maradona: « Vi ignorano tutto l'anno e adesso vi chiedono aiuto per sostenere la Nazionale. » Well my friend, we're in Italy, and Naples is not exception ok? And you ask italian fans to be for Argentina while playing versus Italy? Totally nonsense. And how totally convenient is to forgot that Maradona before the final has insulted tifosi at Olimpico right? How convenient is to forget that Maradona is a symbol of fair play and being polite right? Here something that you can, at least, read: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE3D7153EF930A35754C0A966958260 Do you read the part where, rightfully, Schillaci, a sicilian player, was in fact our hero in those times? Racist? My ass. Too bad i don't have anymore newspaper from that days, just to scanner those and put up here on your face. Jesus helluva Christ.
This topic is no longer to be discussed here. If you want to talk about Italy, open another thread. But please, I have already put on the request for matches to watch. Thank you.
Is it true or myth that when three Argentinian players were dope tested at the 1978 world cup, not only did the results come back all-clear, but one player also had the extra good news that his sample showed that he was pregnant?
I am sorry. I will sound like an asshole saying this you will have to take my word on this one. I can't pull my books and references and scan them where I am at. MYTH!!! That was actually a joke created by the Argentine players themselves. However, many of the players were doing drugs themselves in between games. The most notable addicts were Mario Kempes, Tarantini, Luque, and Houseman. Sometimes, they will do dope right before a game. How they never got caught during the drug-test...well, they were the host nation...use your imagination. During those times all the way until the early 1990's, it wasn't uncommon for profesional football players to do drugs. Harald Schumacher wrote an autobiography in 1987 called Anpfiff (which I have) in which he gave very graphic details of West German players using heavy amounts of drugs (Most notable, Schumacher himself, Rudi Voller, Jurgen Klinsmann, and Andreas Brehme). He was immediately kicked out of the national team, his club, and had to move to Turkey due to the death threats.
It's a lot of estimation (mostly on my part). There is no 100% correct statistic that I know about (maybe FIFA has it). What 100 mil are you talking about?
The 2002 final had Brazil, who are a massive global brand. 2006 was an all Euro affair. Less South American TVs. Less Asian TVs.