Sunday, 5 February 2017

Juventus v Inter: how two penalty calls in one minute inflamed a rivalry

Juventus had Zidane and Del Piero, while Inter had Ronaldo and Djorkaeff – but the referee proved decisive when they played off for the Serie A title in April 1998

By Mark Neale for The Gentleman Ultra, of the Guardian Sport Network

Controversy is woven into the fabric of Italian football. Episodes such as the Totonero match-fixing scandal in 1980, the Calcioscommesse betting scandal exposed in 2011 and, of course, the Calciopoli scandal of 2006 cast a long shadow over the Italian game. Juventus were demoted to the second tier in 2006 for their involvement in the match-fixing scandal but many Inter fans think their rivals were benefitting from referees’ decisions long before Calciopoli.

On 26 April 1998, Inter travelled to the Stadio delle Alpi for a much-anticipated Scudetto showdown. Inter had not won the Serie A title in almost a decade but, led by coach Luigi Simoni, they sat just one point behind Juventus with four games of the season remaining.

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