Dante, So if the stabbing in Genova a few years ago had been a Fiorentina fan knifed by Juve fan, you would have been there cheering the killer on? Because in moral terms your smug amusement only varies from that in size. After all, it was a company that died, not a person. However, your complete refusal (inability?) to see yourself and your team in that situation says an awful lot about you as a human being, and none of it is good. Given that you claim to be a City fan, it is especially incomprehensible that you fail to understand what Fiorentina fans are going through. It was only 3 and half years ago that City were a brutally mismanaged team, wallowing in debt and sitting 12th in Division 2! Had the board continued the patterns of the previous decade, instead of reversing them, City would be in the same place or worse. I can accept that you support Juventus. I've met decent rag fans in England who were in similar family situations, but I doubt they would have been among the smug, brainless, glory hunting scum who would be cheering if City were to go bankrupt.
What does murder have to do with this?? I've against violence in football because I think it brings the game down. Not to mention I don't support murderers. I don't support any violence by any supporters group. Please don't equate a human life with a football team. There is a HUGE difference between a fan MURDERING another fan and a team which mismanaged itself going bankrupt. How you put the two together in inconceivable. Oh I do remember City being in the 2nd division, I can remember attending a City v Macclesfield game. It wasn't fun being in the second division, but I stuck with the team and the club. Bernstein did wonders through the team and I'm greateful for what he's done. City fans rallied around their team, producing record number home crowds for a second division team. Selling out all the away game tickets. They didn't boycott their teams games like Fiorentina fans did. I have no doubt that City fans would have created a group to help the club such as the Palace and Barnet fans did. The Fiorentina fans did no such thing and they knew what was coming.
While the loss of tradition belonging to a storied team such as the Fiorentina is quite saddening, I feel absolutely no pitty on the business side. I have to balance my checkbook every day, and now it's finally caught up with an organization that's done nothing but over-spend. It would have been truly insulting to resuce the team once more, or bend the rules to accomodate it in Serie B. Justice is done, as much as it may hurt on the sporting side. And no one is to blame but the team (the corporate side of it).
Did you actually read the entire paragraph? I SAID the two aren't the same. I didn't say they were moral equivalents, I said they were morally parallel. (in physical terms that would be same structure, different size). My point was about your stunning lack of sympathy for people based on the fact they cheer for a different bunch of guys chasing an inflated cow's bladder for 90 minutes. Spagnolo committed murder because the other guy was wearing the wrong shirt, not because he did anything worthy of execution. Strangely, I was at that game too. I also remember a heated discussion among City fans in those days about whether those continued huge crowds were a good thing. After all, if the idiots who brought the team so low could easily have pointed at the attendance and said, 'See, they approve.' Many people were arguing for a boycott as a way out of being enablers. Although I have only followed Fiorentina for about 5 years, even I am well aware of just how little use Cecchi-Gori had for the fans. Given his refusal to sell the team to anybody with a brain, a boycott was one of the few ways Fiorentina fans had of showing their disapproval, other than riots.
Neither does anybody else. Cecchi-Gori is kind of like George Steinbrenner, without the ability to hire people who are smarter than he is to actually run things.
Cecchi Gori is a real C*** Sucker. He had to blow (up his nose) his dad's soccer club. Un real! I can't believe a hardcore Fiorentina fan hasn't put a bullet thru his head already. I was sure by January he's be dead......I know people who work for/with him in L.A and say he's a real punk. According to La Gazzetta, the new Fiorentina will start in C2. The only good news is, Gori is no longer involved, and everyone knew that if he was still involved, Fiorentina would have been deregulated out of B next season anyways. This way, they start fresh! Forza la nuova Fiorentina!!!!!
Di Livio excited by Fulham interest Fiorentina veteran Angelo Di Livio is excited by the news that Fulham are interested in signing him. Fulham are believed to be considering a two-year deal for the Italy international, who is available on a free transfer. "It is beautiful news," said Di Livio. "I owe a lot to (Fulham football chief) Franco Baresi." Tribal Football
Bolton cancel Fiorentina friendly Bolton have called off their pre-season friendly with cash-hit club Fiorentina because of the Italian side's problems... The Beautiful Game
i can't cheer for the fall of Fiorentina,if anything because i can't stand watching clubs being mismanaged,but i don't feel partucularly sorry as well: like Dante said,the fans will have their weekly dose of football next season anyway C2? so what? if you're a real football fan - like many on this board have accused Dante NOT to be - it doesn't make much difference,right? what's enjoyable on Juventus fans side is that now all the trophies of Fiorentina and the occasional success against the bianconeri can't be claimed by the new club as their own... they're basically out of arguments and who wouldn't love being able to shut down an annoying little pest with a simple explicit gaze? anyway,Dante's reaction is probably uncommon to most Juve fans because after all Fiorentina for the most part caused little more trouble to the Old Lady than a fly crashing on the windshield... everyone's entitled to his opinion on the nature of the interest of Dante for the sport,i won't argue that but let's point out some FACTS... 1. these statements are 100% correct I know that Fiorentina fans would LOVE to se Juventus fall from grace like they have and they would be having celebrations in the street if it ever happened and Don't be so naive, if this were to happen to Juve there would be PLENTY of viola fans cheering and laughing. it may sound an abomination to british/american fans but the success rate of Juventus has stirred the jealousy of the other fans to a point that goes beyond natural rivalry: the most offensive and unsubstantial allegations to the fairness of the club and the legitimacy of their achievements are thrown at Juventus fans daily,24/7/365; i can understand the irresistible impulse to sneer back when the adversaries hurt themselves...i'm absolutely certain the reaction of fans from other clubs to an eventual demise of Juventus would be far more repulsive than Dante or any other juventino had on this occasion furthermore,the history of Italy is one of a nation divided in small states (even city-states) competing against each other economically,politically and military for centuries,so the local and regional rivalries are naturally exarcerbated; not to mention the legacy of Machiavelli 2.and consequently this statement is incorrect: there's not a football supporter in the world worthy of the name who gloats when a team goes out of business and its fans have to suffer that kind of loss. tha is,unless you drastically reduce the number of true football fans of Italy to a dismal figure 3.more inaccuracies: There is no rioting in the streets of Florence. the prevailing mood was indeed depression; there was no particular violence simply because there was no pressure to apply on the powers-that-be: no one can resurrect a corpse (well,almost) also,the police contingent on the streets was precautiously reinforced; there were however attacks to the site of the club (basically stone-throwing),which was presided by police forces 4.The Fiorentina fans did NOTHING to help their team and they knew it was going down the drain and fast. They sat back and moaned, but took no action. Had they put forth some effort to help save their club then I would definitely feel bad for them because they showed they cared, but they didn't. i believe the fans could have done more too,they could have started a popular collection to acquire the club and become owners of Fiorentina,like Real Madrid socios; a wasted opportunity IMO
Spurs chief: We've been offered several Fiorentina stars Tottenham football chief David Pleat has revealed the club has been offered several of Fiorentina's fallen stars. Pleat confirmed: "I've been inundated with calls from agents offering me [Enrico] Chiesa, [Predrag] Mijatovic and Nuno Gomes. "There is no way we will be signing him (Gomes). "He has had a poor scoring record at club level and he's virtually been on the market for the past 12 months but his pay packet is so big I don't think any Premiership club will have him." Tribal Football Gomes has signed for Benfica but Spurs are also interested in Bowyer.
Inter capture Adani the first to quit Fiorentina Viola defender Daniele Adani is the first player from the old Fiorentina side to have found a new club... Tribal Football
Brian: Do you actually have either a). a job, or b). a life, or do you simply spend twenty four hours a day posting tidbits of specious information mined from the depths of the world football shaft onto BigSoccer.com? I think we should be told. I find myself more and more, to win arguments or to prove or disprove notions, resorting to the phrase: "Well, if you don't believe me, I know this bloke called Brian Cappelieri who...". Lol. Syd
I agree. Brian, whilst you're links and news are useful as you obviously visit many more football news sites than most I would like to hear your opinions from time to time aswell. That is what this type of board is all about, after all.
I don't feel sorry for Fiorentina fans. They'll still have a club to follow eventually. But I'm afraid this could be just the first in a long line of biggish European club "folding". And I feel it's only a matter of time before clubs start moving to different cities like they do in the US. BTW, nobody shed a tear for me when my favorite NFL team moved from St. Louis to Phoenix. But I think the fans of St. Louis are much happier with their current team than the folks in Phoenix, who are still stuck with the same ********************* of an owner who moved them there. I do have to say I lost any intimate connection I had with the NFL when that happened. As for the rest of this thread, all I have to say is - Chiesa to Juventus? Cool! I hope that's still in the cards!
Why bring back a thread from 11 years ago? Ciuccio, you were what, 10 when this thread was made? Oh and it's so funny seeing all the people lamenting the loss of Fiorentina and how Italian football will never be the same. Meanwhile Fiorentina are in contention for a CL place.
I was living in firenze then and working for them at that time....how I miss those days! Viva Christian Riganò!