ITALIAN VIEW: THIS IS THE ULTIMATE GAME FOR US

TO UNDERSTAND the importance of English football in Italian culture, we need only to take a look at one of our favourite film characters, Ugo Fantozzi. Fantozzi is the everyman, an average Italian, who has ups and downs and good and bad days like everyone else. In one of the films, he is at home and prepares a plate of fried onions and a cold beer to watch the ultimate game — England v Italy at Wembley. His family are there with him but for Fantozzi, in that moment, they might as well not exist. He ignores them completely. The idea was that nothing could top a spectacle like that. In that context, it is remarkable to think that exactly this fixture, at exactly this venue, will decide who wins Euro 2020. Historically, Italy respected England over any other nation. We won the World Cup in 1934 and 1938, and Olympic gold in 1936. Yet one of the most celebrated Italy teams of that era are ‘The Lions of Highbury’ — and they were beaten 3-2 by England at Arsenal’s stadium in 1934. I believe in England that game is known as ‘The Battle of Highbury’. Just to have run England close earned them hero status at home.

Nowadays, the Premier League is the gold standard for Italian football. Whenever there are meetings about how to reform Italian football, the Premier League is the example we use. So there is so much admiration for England here. I am aware that certain articles have been written about England being favoured too much in the tournament, and I know the penalty awarded to Raheem Sterling against Denmark caused controversy around Europe. But I don’t get the impression that these conspiracy theories have gained all that much traction in Italy. We all saw what happened with the European Super League, and how the withdrawal of the Premier League clubs — and the opposition of the British Government — killed the project. That was an example to UEFA, and the rest of Europe, about the power of English football. Yet I don’t subscribe to the view that this somehow translates into referees or other officials favouring England in the final. We are surprised by how well Italy have done. I thought they would make the last eight but expected teams like Belgium or France to be too strong for them. It will not be easy for Italy in the final. England have played so many games at Wembley but in a match of this size it is always a 50-50 call. Italy certainly have a fighting chance of lifting the trophy.