Capello in Hot Water with the Italians
England coach Fabio Capello has never been backwards in coming forwards with his opinions, and Monday saw him angering fellow Italians during a sports seminar in the country, by stating that hardcore fans were ruining Serie A football. Capello accused that ‘ultra’ fans of inciting tension and aggression in the stadium stating that they ‘insult everyone’ and that this was making the Italian stadiums a less family friendly environment compared to Spain and England. Italian Olympic Committee chief Gianni Petrucci was one of the first to criticise these negative comments, defending the fans and stating that Capello’s accusations were simply ‘not true’, and many other Italian sports officials were also keen to assure the sporting world that Italian football stadiums were just as family friendly as anywhere else in the world. Capello also went on to sympathise with Italy coach Marcello Lippi, who has been heavily criticised recently in his judgement regarding Antonio Cassano, who was overlooked despite being in top form this season.
