After the Second World War the ISF’s sport officials had to decide the future of the defeated countries. While Germany and Japan where always “excluded”, the destiny of the other Axis allies’ depended on the different geopolitical balance of power in every ISF. The Italian football federation (FIGC), thanks to the diplomatic ability of Giovanni Mauro, the help of Jules Rimet and an unexpected friendly match against Switzerland, succeeded in maintaining its affiliation to FIFA, despite the hostilities, among the others, of American, Czechoslovakian and English football federations. Having kept its spot inside FIFA, however, didn’t prevent Italy to avoid a “silent boycott” from different national federation which was often linked to political implications. The aim of this chapter is to investigate, from an historical point of view and with a special attention to the evolution of the international relations, the re-entry of Italy in the international football movement from the end to the war until the Superga tragedy in 1949, when all the Torino team, centrepiece of the National team, died in a plane accident. A special focus will be dedicated to the evolution of Italian position inside FIFA, and the political significance of some international friendly matches especially the 1946 one against Austria linked with the De Gasperi – Gruber agreement.
The Quest for Legitimacy: The Road to Redemption for Italian Football in Europe after the Second World War (1943-1949)
SBETTI, NICOLA
2016
Abstract
After the Second World War the ISF’s sport officials had to decide the future of the defeated countries. While Germany and Japan where always “excluded”, the destiny of the other Axis allies’ depended on the different geopolitical balance of power in every ISF. The Italian football federation (FIGC), thanks to the diplomatic ability of Giovanni Mauro, the help of Jules Rimet and an unexpected friendly match against Switzerland, succeeded in maintaining its affiliation to FIFA, despite the hostilities, among the others, of American, Czechoslovakian and English football federations. Having kept its spot inside FIFA, however, didn’t prevent Italy to avoid a “silent boycott” from different national federation which was often linked to political implications. The aim of this chapter is to investigate, from an historical point of view and with a special attention to the evolution of the international relations, the re-entry of Italy in the international football movement from the end to the war until the Superga tragedy in 1949, when all the Torino team, centrepiece of the National team, died in a plane accident. A special focus will be dedicated to the evolution of Italian position inside FIFA, and the political significance of some international friendly matches especially the 1946 one against Austria linked with the De Gasperi – Gruber agreement.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
