With John Foot
The Invention of Italy – Football
In 1982 Italy won the World Cup in a 3-1 victory over West Germany. The Italian President, the diminutive anti-fascist ex-partisan Sandro Pertini, celebrated in the stands. On the way back from the match an intrepid photographer captured an impromptu game of cards involving Pertini, Dino Zoff, Franco Causio and manager Enzo Bearzot. In front of them stood the World Cup trophy. Meanwhile, in Italy itself, a wild party had just got underway and would continue for days. The game itself attracted a record TV audience, never equalled before or since. Italy was united in sporting triumph. This talk will look at the links between national identity and the national team, and the ways in which that identity has been strengthened and weakened by its relationship with national sporting prowess and occasional disaster.
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