Football in Italy
In Italy, as elsewhere in the world, football is the sport most widely enjoyed. Italy is a nation enjoys the status of one of the most successful in terms of football, for the national team has won the World Cup on four occasions, in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 (which is only one less that the most successful team, Brazil). Among European national teams, Italy is the most successful, for twenty seven European trophies have been claimed by their clubs.
Football began in Italy with the Roman Empire, in which citizens would play an ancient variant called Harpastum. The expansion of the Roman Empire has led people to believe that this form of the game influenced its evolution elsewhere in Europe. The version of the game we recognise today was brought to Italy in 1880, but as for which club was the first, this is a much contested topic.
What is known is that the first national tournament was organised by the Italian Federation for Gymnastics in 1896, which was won by the S. Udinese G. S. team from Udine. A national gymnastic-football tournament was organised in 1897 by the same body and was won by S. G. Torinese. In 1898 the Federation of Italienne du Football was created and a fully national championship was set up in which the playoffs were regional.
Now the Italian national team, called Azzuri, is the second-most successful national team in the world. They were famous from the 1970s to the 1990s for their catenaccio technique, and so are known for their excellent defenders. The catenaccio technique is a system that prioritises defence, by setting up an organised, strong backline of defence that prevents any goals. This technique is not widely used anymore.
Italian football has a long and proud tradition, and it is now an integral part of Italian life. It is taken incredibly seriously, and its popularity has spread indiscriminately through Italian society, with the elderly and the young equally animated by discussions concerning football. It has been suggested that in a society where there is little faith in the judiciary system and the state, football provides something that people can participate in and support.
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