Do we have a choice? Big name clubs & stars are still there, so I don't think I'll be shunning Serie A.
The problem is, will the Serie-A ever be watched by the Koreans? Ahn had offers from other Serie-a teams but he ignored all of them. He didn't want to play football with the bullet-proof vest on. Many clubs from EPL, Bundesliga and the La Liga want the Korean players. Why risk your life going to Serie A?
Wow, you really think it's that bad? I figured it'd be just a couple of idiots who might start any kind of trouble. But you really think it's something where your life is in danger?
Not anymore I would have said yes, but I just read of Gaucci's comment on Ahn finally leaving Perugia. He said that Ahn should thank Cosmi and Perugia for grooming him to succeed at the WC. Puhlease. Idiot.
Oops I clicked the new thread button instead of the reply button. This is a reply to the Serie A thread.
Italian Football Culture Football in Italy, or "calcio" as it is called there takes on completely different dimensions as it does in Korea or even the United States. For those members here who have posted messages of concern for Ahn, I would say that these posts were made based on real concerns. Football culture for club support transcends the fever that accompanies each campaign of the Azzuris (the Italian National Team). I say this for one reason: The same players that don the 'azzuri' jersey for Italy are applauded and cheered on during the World Cup by the Italians but are scorned when they don the shirt of the rival club team back during the season. Fan violence does not reach the same endemic heights as does English hooliganism of the 1970s, but the hyperbole of passion in Italy can often cause misunderstanding among foreigners (stranieri) players and even spectators. Just take a look at the headlines of Gazetto della Sport (the main Italian sports paper) and you can see the exaggeration of emotion. But the pandemonium that surrounds club football in Italy can get dangerous as we saw in 1995 when a Genoa supporter was stabbed by Milan supporters IN Luigi Ferrari stadium in Genoa!!! Would Ahn be in danger if he returned to Italy. Perhaps. But it's a risk that he would have to assess if worth taking. Will Koreans be turned off by the Serie-A? Yes. I know I have and I have followed the Serie-A as much as I have followed La Liga and the EPL in England. The main reason for following Serie-A for me was to see Ahn's performances at Perugia. Now, what's the use. Either Juve or Milan will win. The play isn't spectacular as it is in Spain or England. Serie-A won't suffer because I do not watch it. But Gaucci did a terrible marketing job for his club.