KEEP TALKING SCHOOL SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: The Definite Article Articles from VOLUME 32 MAY 2010 football-lovers. Articles from football-haters! The winning arti- cle—page 2. Kip Talking An interview with The World Cup? Yes, I’m land, Wales, Argentina, Fiji ers drink Sir Stanley Mat- thews. definitely going to watch and Samoa. The sad thing is gallons of every game involving Eng- that if you want to see a beer but never get violent A World Cup land, Ireland and Italy and World Cup where real men and where the referee’s quiz—with answers most of the other matches go head to head, where play- word is final, you will have The solution to featuring France, New Zea- ers don’t keep pretending to to wait until September next last edition’s cross- land, Australia. And Scot- be hurt, where the support- year! word puzzle. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: The Beautiful Game? By Davide Torassa The Beautiful 1 Game? In Italy football is a religion. in a team, get to know their Every four years there is the The True Spirit of 2 In fact during the day, when limits and learn to win and World Cup and this champi- Football people meet in the street or lose. onship always holds a great in bars, they either talk While I loved this sport fascination. When the Italian Crowd Mentality 2 about football matches or when I was a child, nowa- football team plays, the Life Without 3 politicians. days I hate it. Everywhere whole country shuts down Football I have a special relationship especially in Italy, this sport and everyone watches TV to with football. When I was a has a lot of negative aspects. root for their team and re- Love It or Hate 3 child, this sport helped me On Sundays the stadium is joice over a victory. It’s It? to fight my shyness and be- often dangerous because strange but these are magic Oh No! Not More 3 come more sociable and there is violence and hatred moments, everyone loves Football!! friendly. among the fans of several football and the whole coun- I started to play in a small teams. try is united. My Family Love 4 team in my village when I Football players earn too Soccer was ten years old. After much and are bad examples The Extra Man 4 three years a team in Udine for the younger generation. asked me to play at a higher I also hate football because Impossible Inter- 5 level. We won the regional sport magazines always talk views: Stanley championship and then we only about football events Matthews played in the national tour- and very little about other World Cup 6 nament against other Italian sports. For example, if the Memories teams. In those years I loved Italian volleyball team wins The World Cup 6 football because I enjoyed the World Cup, sports Atmosphere playing with other players. I magazines will talk about this The Best Match 6 also liked it because I trained event only in a small section I’ve Seen three times a week so it was after the football news. a good physical exercise. I think that if foreigners Memories of 1982 7 I think football is very useful watch Italian sports on TV, A Game of Two 8 in helping children to im- they will think that there is Halves prove their character and to only one sport in It- become more sociable. For aly….football! others it’s important to play PAGE 2 The True Spirit of Football by Flavio Lorenzon Football today is blighted and so they know each tutes him. They simply by an endless stream of other very well. It’s a enjoy playing and being scandals. The players often group of friends, really. Of together. It is the ideal behave unfairly during the course, they still have to combination of sport and matches and so-called sup- improve their ability to friendship, as long as it porters shout annoying kick, trap, pass and cross lasts. racist chants and taunts in the ball, but they are Even in my late forties I the stadium. pretty talented, I must say. am still playing amateur But in spite of all this I still However, what I like most five-a-side football. Every love the game, and that’s is that they are learning to Wednesday evening I go why I hope that we can respect and to help each to a pitch in Cussignacco “When the children’s build a better future for it. other as well. Actually, with a group of friends coach teaches them This will be possible only when their coach teaches who I have played with rules for a clean game by changing our general them rules for a clean since school. This is one of they pick up some attitude towards sports, game they pick up some the best moments in my which should be played simple rules of life too. For week. I forget my prob- simple rules of life with pure passion, respect, example, they all celebrate lems at work, I do physical too.” fairness and loyalty. together when somebody activity and, last but not My son Nicola is ten years scores a goal and they least, I relax by playing and old but he has played for a always greet their oppo- spending time with my local football team nents before and after the friends. Unsurprisingly, (Atletico Libero Rizzi) for match. Nobody complains these “tough” matches over four years now. He when the referee gives a often end with a good and his team mates started foul against his team or glass of beer. this “adventure” together when the coach substi- Prize Crowd Mentality by Lea Del Ponte Article! I really cannot relate to other team. Of course this I do look forward to the groups of people hating behaviour feeds on igno- forthcoming Football each other for any ab- rance and intolerance, World Cup, though, first stract reason. I cannot which would exist none- of all because these are understand their hatred theless, but it seems that the kinds of matches which towards one another if you can get away with any fans attend to actually caused by religion, or kind violence and aggres- watch the game, and not nationality... let alone if siveness, with nothing to channel their anger and it is football-related. more than a slap on the frustration towards the And that's why I don't wrist. opponents, and also be- like football. And don't get me started cause football is the only I know that it is a sport on the expenses sustained thing that manages to mus- and that many people by the State to guarantee a ter Italians’ feeble sense of follow their team just for semblance of public order, State and patriotism - for “I really cannot relate to the sake of watching a with thousands of police 90 minutes, when the na- groups of people hating good game and having fun, officers used every Sunday tional football team is play- each other for any abstract but what startles me is to keep these people from ing - Italians feel like one that the Sunday match has killing each other. nation, and take some reason.” become an occasion to Shouldn't the companies pride in it. “enter the field” and fight, who profit from these hate, insult and beat the events pay for that? “others”, for the sole rea- Shouldn't such dangerous son of their supporting the events be shut down? THE DEFINITE ARTICLE VOLUME 32 PAGE 3 Life Without Football by Beatrice Campion To some people it could seem quite a pitiful choice of life, and here in Italy it could even appear an impossible undertaking, but in fact it’s rather simple. Here is my own special ‘recipe’: Ingredients: - one TV - absolutely without satellite dish; - a swimming costume with accessories and swimming pool in the surroundings (for autumn and winter usage); Beatrice’s recipe for a life - a bicycle - any make or type available is acceptable for this recipe (for spring and sum- without football — delicious! mer usage); - enough passion for reading and a good quantity of books at home, which have been demanding your attention for months; - last but not least: a partner who regularly plays (and watches) basketball (the fonder the partner is of this sport, the better the result we can aim for). Method: Step one: combine each ingredient with the others to taste, mixing them as much as you like. Step two: enjoy your life without football! Love it or Hate it? by Marina Pascolo “It’s only 22 players July 2006, after twenty-four tion? Why do people spend experience. It's fun - fun if you years Italy won its fourth time watching the matches? are a fan or if you play, that is. running after world cup. The World Cup, the Premier For others, on the other hand, a ball. Oh The world championship, an League, the European League, it's boring, or useless, but es- event that millions of people the Italian League, the Italian pecially it's only “22 players sorry, 22 very wait for, an event that some- Cup and so on… Why do running after a ball”! Oh sorry times even attracts the atten- people love football???? “22 very rich players running rich players tion of people who don't like For some people football in- after a ball”. football. All the countries in spires emotions, strong emo- Is that so? Maybe.