Juventus won the 2011/12 Scudetto on 6th May, thanks to a 2-0 victory against Cagliari and Inter beating AC Milan in the Milan derby. Once the final whistle had blown on both games, the Bianconeri held a lead of four points over the Rossoneri and were officially crowned Italian champions with one match left to play. However, Juventus’ victory has set the scene for heated arguments within the country over whether this is the Bianconeri’s 28th or 30th Scudetto.
The fierce debate can be traced back to the battle that began with the Calciopoli scandal in the summer of 2006 and its aftermath. Indeed after a multitude of court cases, including the suspensions of directors such as Luciano Moggi, Antonio Giraudo and Roberto Bettega, combined with one year in Serie B for Juventus, and heated debate between Juventus and Inter (especially centring around Giacinto Facchetti, who died in 2006 and was an idol and symbol of the pure form of the game for the Nerazzurri) the off the pitch drama is still unfolding today.
With Juventus finishing top of the table, unbeaten after 38 matches, celebrations broke out in Turin with the club’s 30th Scudetto claimed by the side’s fans. The number 30 was painted on flags, banners and on the walls of the city, while players such as left back Paolo De Ceglie adorned their vehicles with three yellow stars. It was not just fans and player promoting the idea of this being the Bianconeri’s 30th league accolade however, as the club’s board placed a banner with three stars at the entrance to Juventus’ stadium. In Italy, every yellow star represents ten league titles and at present only Juventus, AC Milan and Inter have the right to place stars on their shirts.
The system by which clubs abide by this though is not set in stone; there is no clear rule laid down by the country’s football federation. The tradition began in 1958 when Juventus asked to place a star on their black and white shirts in celebration of the club’s tenth Scudetto. Recently, Giancarlo Abete, the president of the Italian Football Federation, stated the Turin giants should not add a third star to their shirts – but Abete is seen as weak and unable to impose the federation’s will.
Leadership appears to have instead come from FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who quickly sent a letter to Juventus’ young president Andrea Agnelli congratulating the club on securing their 28th title.
Agnelli however hit back, declaring “this is absolutely our 30th Scudetto, there’s no question about it. We’ve won 30 times on the pitch and despite all the strange things that happened in the past years, we are once again on top. Antonio Giraudo (heavily involved in the Calciopoli scandal of 2006, ed.) was like a father to me, he taught me all the secrets of this world, so now I am proud to be at the helm of Juventus.”
Juventus’ rivals, Milan and Inter, are far from satisfied with the statements coming from Turin and have requested that the country’s federation act to prevent the Bianconeri from adding another star to their shirt for the 2012/13 season.
The dispute is threatening to rumble on throughout the summer and overshadow preparations for the new campaign. Juventus boss Antonio Conte has steered a path clear of endorsing a third star, instead concentrating on his feat of bagging the title in his first season in charge in Turin. Despite this though, Conte was quick throughout the season to blast referees for what he saw as unfair treatment meted out to his team. In Conte’s view, officials have felt pressured by the Calciopoli scandal to crack down on Juventus, for fear of being seen to favour the Bianconeri. And this very much came to a head when Conte had a heated discussion with his Milan counterpart Massimiliano Allegri after Sulley Muntari’s ‘ghost goal’ when the Rossoneri hosted Juventus in February; Milan pointed to the incident as evidence of the wrong-headed nature of Conte’s protests.
Meanwhile Inter President Massimo Moratti has slammed Juventus’ desire to add a third star. “If Juventus put a third star on their shirts, everything is allowed for everyone and every team can put whatever they want onto their kit”, said the Nerazzurri supremo. The club’s captain Javier Zanetti, adopted a more conciliatory tone though, stating that “for me, if they want to use the third star they can. Everybody knows what happened in the summer of 2006, so it’s not my business if they want to do that.”
The battle between Juventus and the Milanese giants is just beginning and this summer will surely see more chapters written in this never-ending story.
