The Cambridge English dictionary defines ‘superstition’ as a “belief that is not based on human reason or scientific knowledge, but is connected with old ideas about magic, etc.” If...
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Silvio Berlusconi: AC Milan’s great conductor
It could be said that the San Siro has an association with Silvio Berlusconi in much the same way that La Scala has an association with Verdi. Many of...
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Promotion, salting and Simeone: The story of Romeo Anconetani and Pisa
Born in Trieste in 1922, Romeo Anconetani was the hugely popular, charismatic and superstitious president of Pisa throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Conscripted into the infantry in...
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Paolo Mantovani: Sampdoria and the unforgettable years
Paolo Mantovani didn’t fit the traditional mould for Italian football presidents. Self-effacing, quiet and open, he controlled Sampdoria with thought and love. His time in charge of the Blucerchiati...
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Marcello Melani: Pistoiese and the impossible dream
“The old town sleeps while waiting for the emergence of the right sun. By the way, the sun that circulates in these parts, at sunrise and at sunset, it’s...
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Luciano Gaucci: Italy’s last self-made revolutionary
When thinking of the most iconic examples of a life lived to the limit, one does not always look at the football world, at least not at the owners...
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Antonio Sibilia: Avellino’s unique and unforgettable commander
As the ground staff made their way to Avellino’s Stadio Partenio on morning of 20 April 1992, their mood was dark. Over the weekend the team had lost once...
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Franco Sensi: A life of family, passion and AS Roma
For many people in football, their club becomes their family. Franco Sensi was someone whose love for both was heavily entwined. The summer of 1926 was an intense one...
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As the camera panned around, the pictures on the wall started to come into focus. On them were scenes of glory, ecstasy and passion. A few were from generations...
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Sergio Cragnotti: The rise and fall of Lazio’s Roman Emperor
The emperors of ancient Rome were well-known for lascivious lifestyles, eccentric tastes and political controversies. History has long sought to argue just who built the biggest wall or which...
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