Business is business but what the final of the Italian Super Cup football between Juventus and AC Milan to be played in Saudi Arabia is simply outrageous. There are no excuses that hold, it must be said clearly. And we will now see what the Lega-Cinque Stelle government and the Undersecretary for Sport, Giancarlo Giorgetti, have to say.
It is the tenth time that the Supercoppa – officially the Supercoppa di Lega – has been played abroad and so far nothing wrong, but choosing as the venue for the final the country that is under accusation all over the world as the instigator of the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, he cries out for revenge and it is a sign that the Football League, which organizes the big match, lacks the slightest civil and moral sensitivity.
To date, the date of the match has not yet been communicated, but only that of the possible period: from 12 to 16 January. 2019. But it is not the date that counts, but rather the seat and it is this one that cries out for vengeance. Even realpolitik must stop at least in the face of assassinations. Or not?
What is certain so far - barring the government's impediments - is that it will be played in Saudi Arabia. Previously the Super Cup was held in Washington in 1993, in Tripoli in 2002, in New York in 2003, in Beijing in three editions (2009, 2011 and 2012), in Doha in two occasions (2014 and 2016) and in Shanghai in 2015 .
Juventus, champions of Italy, will face Milan, loser finalist of the Coppa Italia edition won by the bianconeri: both teams have already put the Super Cup on the bulletin board seven times. Unfortunately, however, the purely sporting aspects of the Super Cup risk being completely overshadowed this time by the politically and morally unacceptable choice of venue.
