MILAN // Inter Milan, treble winners last season and Italian Super Cup holders, are currently in possession of so many trophies that you might imagine the loss of an old, frankly rather tarnished one would not overly bother them. Not so. The propriety of the 2006 Serie A title, the scudetto, remains a heated issue, not least ahead of tomorrow's Derby D'Italia against Juventus.
Juve last month made their most strident efforts yet to have Inter's name removed from the roll of honour for that championship. Juventus finished top of Serie A that May, only for the status of champions to be taken from them in the light of the so-called "Moggigate" or calciopoli scandal, when evidence emerged that club directors, chiefly Luciano Moggi had been systematically manipulating match officials.
Inter, who had finished the season in second place were then awarded the title, while Juve were relegated. Juve's view is that Inter, according to phone taps made by police investigators during the period, may not have been entirely ignorant or innocent of the practice of trying to influence who refereed which games in Serie A. Hence the irritation of Juve at the destiny of the 2006 title. The 2005 scudetto, it should be pointed out, was granted to no club, after the Moggigate verdicts were cast; Juve had also ended up top in that year. Better that solution, declaring no champion, Juve believe, than to regard Inter as the 2006 holders.
The issue will certainly be visible in the grandstands tomorrow, on banners and in chants exchanged between rivals barely in need of an extra edge in this fixture but certain to address the 2006 title all the same. The 2006 trophy has long been Inter's "cardboard scudetto", as far as Juve fans are concerned. In the minds of older interisti, meanwhile, Juve were enjoying favours from referees since long before the time investigated during Moggigate. For the last dozen years, the Derby D'Italia has provoked memories of the close joust between Juve and Inter for the 1998 scudetto, and the circumstances that swayed that duel in Juve's favour.
Back then, Juventus and Inter were separated by a single point at the top of the table, with four matches of the campaign remaining. When Juve's Mark Iuliano brought down the brilliant Brazil striker Ronaldo, it seemed Inter had the penalty that would win them the game and the advantage in the league. But the referee Piero Ceccarini gave no spot-kick. Worse, moments later, he had awarded Juve the penalty that effectively took them to the title.
Plenty of baggage then, although not quite as many direct participants as in recent times to carry it. Post-calciopoli derbies have tended to focus on players with shared ties to the clubs, controversial links given that Inter were a popular new home for Juve players in the wake of the 2006 scandal. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who left Inter in 2009, jumped ship to the Milan club when Juve were relegated. So did Patrick Vieira, who has now moved back to England. Nor is Fabio Cannavaro, who represented both clubs, any longer a Juve player, having opted to pursue his UAE adventure.
A more sober outlook than the ones typically provided over the last two seasons by Jose Mourinho is also coming from Inter's coach Rafa Benitez and his counterpart Gigi Delneri. Benitez is visibly buoyed by the four goals Inter put past Werder Bremen in midweek in the Champions League, though he was yesterday still looking for reassurance over a number of fitness issues, notably concerning the quartet of senior defensive players Lucio, Walter Samuel, Javier Zanetti and Marco Materazzi.
Juve, who trail Inter by three points in the table, gained midweek encouragement in Europe, too, at least in the eyes of Delneri. Reflecting on the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the Europa League, Delneri said: "We showed people who thought we would go to England and concede a lot of goals that in fact we are steadily improving." He concedes his radically restructured squad still show symptoms of a lack of familiarity, but ahead of his biggest fixture yet as Juve coach, he declared: "I feel relaxed."
sports@thenational.ae
Tomorrow 10.45pm, Aljazeera Sport +1
Serie A fixtures
Today
Udinese v Cesena 8pm
Parma v AC Milan 10.45pm
Tomorrow
Lecce v Catania 2.30pm
Bologna v Sampdoria 5pm
Chievo v Cagliari 5pm
Fiorentina v Palermo 5pm
Genoa v Bari 5pm
Lazio v Brescia 5pm
Napoli v Roma 5pm
Inter Milan v Juventus 10.45pm
Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Summer special
DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
RESULT
Fifth ODI, at Headingley
England 351/9
Pakistan 297
England win by 54 runs (win series 4-0)
Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
