Gianluigi Buffon has called on the Italian public to forget their club allegiances and unite behind the national team to help avert World Cup disaster.
Italy are in serious danger of missing their first World Cup since 1958 after losing the first leg of their play-off, 1-0 in Sweden.
Buffon, who was a world champion with Italy in 2006 and is set to retire after next year’s tournament in Russia, singled out AC Milan, Inter and Juventus fans as those who need to get behind the Italian team.
Gianluigi Buffon may be worried about Italy fans being divided as the World Cup qualifying decider against Sweden is being held at the San Siro, shared home to two of Italy’s biggest teams – and sworn enemies – Inter and AC Milan.
Those clubs contest the Derby della Madonnina, and Inter are seen as the club for the bourgeoisie, while AC are traditionally the working-class club in Milan.
The rivalry in Rome is complicated, with Roma seen as the people’s club and Lazio’s ultras containing fascist links.
The country in general also has a traditional divide between the rich, industrialised north and the poor, rural south, exemplified in the tensions between Roma and Napoli fans.
There is also a fierce rivalry in Genoa, due to the presence of Sampdoria.
All clubs’ fans are united, however, in a loathing of Juventus. Their consistent success and moneyed background draws them comparisons with Manchester United’s status in England.
But the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal of 2006 took things to a whole new level.
Published by Dailymail
