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Forza Italia: The Fall and Rise of Italian Football
by: Paddy Agnew

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Used Price: £3.31
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3340945
EAN: 9780091905620
ISBN: 0091905621
Label: Ebury Press
Manufacturer: Ebury Press
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: August 02, 2007
Publisher: Ebury Press
Studio: Ebury Press
Sales Rank: 191887

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Forza Italia: A Journey in Search of Italy and Its Football

Editorial Review:

Book Description:
A unique and personal journey into the heart of Italy and its football, including the national team's dramatic 2006 World Cup victory and the match-fixing scandal

Synopsis:
When journalist Paddy Agnew and his girlfriend Dympna touched down in Rome in 1985 in search of adventure, sunshine and the soul of Italian football (well, Paddy was looking for that), they were travelling into the uncharted terrain of a country they did not know and a language they did not speak. It soon became clear that neither Italy nor Italian football would be boring. In that first week in Italy, Michel Platini and Juventus won the Intercontinental Cup, whilst just days later the PLO killed 13 people in a random shooting at Rome's Fiumicino airport. Paddy covered both stories. The coming years saw the rise of TV tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, as he became owner of AC Milan and then Prime Minister of Italy, naming his political party 'Forza Italia' after a football chant. In that same period, Argentine Diego Maradona became the uncrowned King of Naples, leading Napoli to a first ever Scudetto title in 1987, notwithstanding a hectic, Hollywood-esque lifestyle that mixed footballing genius with off-the-field excess.

"Forza Italia" is a fascinating tale of inspired players, skilled coaches, rich tycoons, glitzy media coverage, Mafia corruption, allegations of drug taking and fan power - culminating in the 2006 World Cup victory that delighted a nation and a match-fixing scandal that shocked the world. It is also a personalised reflection on the consistent and continuing excellence of Italian football throughout a period of huge social, political and economic upheaval, offering a unique insight into a society where football has always been much more than just a game.

About the Author:
Paddy Agnew has been Rome correspondent for the Irish Times since 1986. Since 1991, he has been a match commentator on Italian football for state broadcaster RAI whilst over the last 20 years he has covered Italian football for ESPN TV, BBC World Service radio, Reuters, World Soccer magazine and many other news organisations. He lives near Rome with his wife Dympna and teenage daughter Róisín.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- A useful, personal book
This book is not primarily a history of Italian football but the personal reflections of journalist Paddy Agnew on his years (22, approximately) covering the sport in Italy. Indeed, it is semi-autobiographical with stories of his early days in the country (chapter one) and a non-football chapter on the village of Trevignano (ch. 5), where he lives. Therefore the book has the advantages of observation from within, as Agnew, for example, experienced the political climate under former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (the title is the same as the name of Berlusconi's Political party). Inevitably, the time period covered is mid-80s (when Agnew arrived) to the present. There is a short and interesting history chapter entitled "Mussolini Invents Serie ... Read More:

Books : Forza Italia: The Fall and Rise of Italian Football